Rome and Jules, page 10
“Glad you’re back safe. I always worry when our residents are out among ’em.”
“Appreciate the concern.” He smiled and drove through at a leisurely pace. As soon as he was out of Mike’s sight, he sped up. Which way would they have gone? Toward Havilland’s? It was still early. On a hunch, Rome turned right toward the club and, sure enough, as he rode past, Anderson was just walking around his car toward the passenger door. Okay, no chance to talk to Jules yet—plus if he didn’t get home soon, his father would send somebody to look for him.
He gritted his teeth and kept driving. Back to the question. If a takeover came, what were Rome’s chances of staying with Jules? Slim, meet none. Yolanda was right about one thing, although she didn’t know it. Rome might be Michael—the only alpha in his family besides his father. Both Federico and Anthony were older by a few years than Rome. Alpha advantage would likely have shown up by now and, unlike Rome, they had no reason to hide it. If that were true, hell, he’d never get away. He’d be alpha of Havilland pack, married to Yolanda for credibility, and not one moment of his life lived as who he really was. His stomach turned. Damn, damn, damn. What in hell should I do?
By the time he pulled the Mercedes into the garage at the mansion, no great decision had dawned—just a lot of vague thoughts and gnawing unease. He slid out and walked in the kitchen door. Maybe no one would be around and he could just go think.
His phone buzzed. Fuck. “Yes, Dad?”
“You’re back early. We’re all in the office.”
All. Damn. He clicked off and dead-man walked his way down the hall. All turned out to be his brothers and Grandfather Lawrence, along with his dad.
“Come on in, Rome. Grab a drink. We’re anxious to hear what happened.”
“Thank you, sir.” He ambled to the bar and carefully sorted through the white wine bottles. Sadly, his father knew killing time when he saw it.
“Pick one. You usually like sauvignon blanc.”
Sighing very softly—Why can’t I think of what to say except the truth?—he sloshed some wine in a glass and walked to the couches. Lawrence scooted over and made room for him. At least he’d have that comfort.
When he sat, everyone in the room except Lawrence leaned forward anxiously. His father asked the question. “What was her agenda?”
“She’s worried about her pack.”
Anthony gave a rude laugh. “I thought for sure you were gonna say, ‘She likes my cute ass.’”
Rome flashed his snarkiest smile. “I never said she didn’t.” He leaned on his knees, cradling his wine. “She’s concerned about Anderson. Yolanda’s a smart female, and she sees the same thing we do. Anderson has a hidden agenda, and she thinks it could be bad for Havilland. Even worse than Gerard.”
“I see.” His father sat back, his big chest rising and falling. “She is smart. And she came to you because—” He made a rolling gesture with his hand.
Fuck. He couldn’t think of a story that made sense. “She thinks Siracusa should take over Havilland.”
Anthony shouted, “What the fuck?”
Rome looked up and his eyes met his father’s. “And call it an alliance.”
Lawrence’s warm hand rested on Rome’s back, out of sight of the others. He understood the implications.
Anthony sneered, “Alliance? What does that mean? They’ll be lucky if we keep them alive.”
His father speared Anthony with a look that would have melted steel. “An alliance through marriage would unite the packs without war.”
“Marriage?”
Federico nodded. “Of course. A marriage between Yolanda Montgomery and Rome. She has the blood.”
“Rome?” Anthony still hadn’t caught up.
“Yes.” Federico looked at Anthony, whom he’d coddled and brought along his whole life. “Father goes to Havilland and proposes an alliance through marriage. If Gerard gets Anderson out of the picture, we’ll provide the needed finances to get their pack back on its feet. And, of course, we’ll take control.”
Lawrence patted against Rome’s back. Sorry, old man. Even your comfort can’t make up for a forsaken life.
His father folded his hands on his flat stomach. “How fortuitous, Rome, that you no longer have to court a female you find stupid in favor of what must be the smartest bitch in Dark Harbor.”
Rome looked up. “There’s a complication.” Shit, he didn’t want to say this, but he was pack, and while he might want to run away and never return, he couldn’t leave his kin in danger.
“What?” His father frowned.
“At dinner with Yolanda, we were seen by the Havilland son.”
Anthony roared again. “What the fuck!”
“That’s not good news.” His father glanced at Lawrence.
Rome said, “I stayed and watched him leave the restaurant with Anderson. Anderson didn’t appear to be in a hurry or look upset. I followed them home, and they went to the club. It doesn’t appear that Jules told Anderson anything.”
Federico shook his head. “That doesn’t make sense. He’d have to recognize that a meeting between Rome and Yolanda is nefarious.”
“Or some illicit fuckfest.” Anthony drank a mouthful of wine.
Lawrence spoke softly. “Yes, it does make sense. Rome has told us that Jules Havilland doesn’t appear excited about marrying Anderson. He’s also a smart male. He realizes that regardless of why Rome and Yolanda were meeting, it could get him out of his situation. He may be waiting to see what happens.”
Rome stared into the bottom of his glass. Jules is waiting to see what I do next.
His father set his glass of red on the coffee table firmly. “Regardless, it means we have to act fast. We need to get a proposal of alliance drawn up.” He stood. “Rome, figure out what you need to handle before you get married. Do it fast.” His father walked behind his desk.
The only thing he could think of he needed to do was jump off a bridge. Of course, with his alpha advantage, he’d probably live.
Five minutes later, he left his father’s office to “figure out what he needed to handle.” Five steps out the door, he broke into a run and raced to his rooms. Inside, he changed into jeans and sneakers, grabbed a windbreaker, messed up his bed and put some pillows under the covers, then slid out his window and hopped the short distance to the ground. Crouching low, he ran to the edge of the big property and stared into the woods.
The almost new moon shone little light through the dense trees and foliage. He glanced at his watch. Getting to Jules’s house in human form would take forty minutes at least, depending on how many times he had to hide. No one would expect to see a wolf in Dark Harbor, especially nowhere near the full moon. He sat on the loamy ground and started stripping.
JULES lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling and vibrating like a tuning fork. Should I get up and tell my father what I saw? Shit! What could they have been up to? Was there danger for his pack? Rome might be his dream walking, but he was still a Siracusa.
Fuck!
He swung his legs over the side of the bed, slid on his flip-flops, and stood. I’ll go talk to Father. See how drunk he is. I’ll decide how much to say after I get there.
He strode out of his room and started down the hall. Donald had stayed again that night, after making yet another attempt to get Jules into bed. As he approached, Jules saw Donald’s door ajar. Maybe Father’s with him—negotiating?
He approached and raised a hand to knock.
“No, Eric, nothing yet. I’m going to agree to more than I plan to deliver, just to get this fucking contract written. Once it’s done, it’s done.”
Jules stopped dead when he heard Donald’s voice and pressed his ear closer.
“No, I can’t bring any of you in until after the wedding, but go ahead and create the systems. The house is huge. Once we have it, we’ll have plenty of room and lots of security. This place is so hush-hush, no law enforcement ever gets close to it. It’s perfect. We’ll even have members of the family to give us alibis.” He laughed. “Yes, I am a genius. What?” He made a rude noise. “Oh yeah, the dude’s gorgeous. One delicious piece of ass. Okay, yeah. Talk soon. I’ll call as soon as I conclude negotiations. I’m headed to a meeting with the old lush right now.”
Jules slipped back from the door and ran to his room like Anderson had just set his delicious piece of ass on fire.
Chapter Twelve
THE large black wolf slipped through the dense, overgrown bushes outside the Havilland mansion. He sniffed the air. Dogs. Bad. Running around the fence perimeter, he snuffled at the base, looking for a weakness. The rattling of loose wire stopped him, and after a minute’s dedicated digging, he slid under the fence.
Belly almost to the ground, he hurried across the open lawn to the building.
“Woof! Woof!” Wild barking sounded around the edge of the house. The big wolf stopped still, raised his hackles, and bared his teeth. “Urrrrrrr.”
One large dog raced around the corner and stopped so fast his paws dug up chunks of dirt. His eyes widened, he whined, and then he backed up slowly until he disappeared around the corner again.
The wolf sucked wind, shook himself like a huge rag doll, and cast off his body in favor of human form. Rome arched on hands and knees on the dirt—nude. If he could design clothes that shifted with his wolf, he could sell a lot of them in Dark Harbor. With a spring, he grasped the vines that grew to the top of Jules Havilland’s balcony.
As he got close to the top of the wall, he slowed and sniffed. While his sense of smell was even better in wolf form—literally detecting diseases and what people ate three meals before—his human nose could pick up bolder strokes, like sensing which people or wolves had visited a location over the previous few days. He didn’t need much smelling subtlety right then. The scent of orange blossoms filled his head and flooded his heart. He’s here.
JULES stopped in midpace and stared toward the french doors that led to the balcony. He’s here. His fists clenched as he hurried to the door in time to see Rome Siracusa climb over the top of the balcony rail—naked. Whoa! Even pissed-offedness and suspicion couldn’t dim the sheer prurient majesty of the view. Rome’s tall, lean body, covered with tattoos, dipped and ripped in all the right places—wide shoulders, carved chest, flat belly with something more than a six-pack. But Jules’s gaze kept dipping south, where a large, low-hanging cock and balls dominated the landscape. Glare, don’t stare. Jules folded his arms. “Moonbathing?”
He grinned. “Sorry. I wanted to get here fast.”
“Less wind resistance this way?”
Rome shrugged, and the truth washed over Jules. Rome had shifted so he could travel faster. Jules glanced up at the sky, where a sliver of a moon shone forth weakly. “Are your brothers alphas too?” Three alphas in the next generation of Siracusas would make them powerful, if not unstoppable.
“I don’t know. I don’t think so.”
“Why don’t you know? They’re old enough to have been revealed.”
He leaned on the parapet and stared at his bare feet. “My family doesn’t know I’m alpha. I never told them.”
“What? Why?”
“I’ve always held on to the possibility that I might have to leave the pack—once they discover I’m gay. I figured losing an alpha, especially if I turn out to be the only one in the family, would make them track me even harder.” He shrugged.
Jules compressed his lips. “What were you doing with Yolanda?”
“I gather you haven’t told anyone.”
“That doesn’t mean I won’t.” He paced a step to the side, then faced Rome again. “Anderson’s planning something, and it sounds nefarious. I overheard him on the phone about a half hour ago. He’s with my father now or I’d be there.”
“What do you mean by ‘nefarious’?”
Jules shook his head. “It sounds like he’s planning to move a lot of his people into the mansion, and he specifically mentioned the lack of human law enforcement in Dark Harbor.”
“Shit.” Rome wiped a hand over his neck.
Jules wrapped his arms tightly around himself. “You haven’t answered my question about Yolanda.”
“She’s worried about the future of your pack.”
“Not news.”
“She figures that my father might do a better job of keeping Anderson out.” He stared at his feet again.
“Your father? You mean Siracusa should take over Havilland?” His heart squeezed. Every instinct said Siracusa was the enemy.
“Just think about it for a second. I know we’ve both been trained to hate each other’s packs, but isn’t it possible that Anderson’s the real enemy?”
“That doesn’t excuse a takeover.”
“Maybe not.” He let out a long breath. “Can you think of another option? Short of letting Anderson take over?”
“Maybe I misunderstood. Maybe he really wants to help the pack.” His voice sounded pleading even in his own ears.
“Do you believe that?”
“No, dammit.”
“Do you think Anderson is alpha?”
He shook his head. “Oddly, no. I doubt it. Powerful but not alpha.”
“That’s something, anyway.” Rome stared up at the tiny moon, its light gleaming softly off his beautiful, architectural face. “I’ll be honest. I love my family and I want the best for the pack, but I don’t want to spend my life with a female in order to assure that.” He released a soft breath. “I want to spend my life with you.”
“What?” His heart slammed so hard against his ribs, they should have cracked.
“Is that a surprise? I told you I wanted to be your wolfie.”
“But that’s different than spending our lives together, isn’t it?” Jules slapped a hand against the side of the brick building. “Damn it, Rome, don’t make me dream when there’s no chance it can come true.”
“We’ve got to find a way.”
“How?” He whirled on Rome. “If Siracusa takes over Havilland and you’re the only alpha, I’ll end up watching you marry a female and produce lots of little furries while my heart breaks in two.” He glared at Rome. “They’ll never let you leave. Your father has to suspect you’re alpha. I suspected. He’s no dummy.”
“He doesn’t know I’m gay.”
“You think he’s going to care?”
“Of course. He’ll hate it.” He spat out the words.
Jules ran both hands through his hair. “But it won’t make a whisker’s worth of difference. He’ll believe that marrying you to a female will persuade you away from your misguided tendencies, and that will be that.” He pressed a hand against his chest to keep his heart from falling out. “If you run, he’ll chase you.”
Rome covered the space between them and gathered Jules into his arms. Jules thrashed, but Rome held him against that hot, silky skin. “We’ll think of something.”
“Don’t be stupid.”
“I’m not. Honest. We’ll find a way. If you genuinely want to be with me, I’ll move heaven to make it happen.”
“Sweet gods, that means not just fighting my father and Anderson, but yours too.”
“Yes, that’s what it means.”
“Does your father know you met with Yolanda?”
“Yes. He knew before I went, and my whole family was waiting for me when I got back.”
Jules wrenched himself free from Rome’s grasp. “Fuck! That means he’s already halfway to a takeover, right? I haven’t got any time to try to work things out on this end.”
“How would you work things out?”
Jules started pacing again. “I don’t know. But I have to go to my father and tell him about what I heard Anderson say. It’s not fair to keep it secret. Donald may be done with his talk with my father. I’ve got to get down there.”
“Shall I wait for you?”
“You can’t come inside. They’ll scent you for sure. It’s bad enough here on the balcony.”
“I can wait out here.”
Jules stared at every beautiful, shining inch of Rome. “No. You’re too much of a temptation. I feel like I’m being ripped in half, and all I can think of is sucking your cock.”
Rome chuckled. “I like your train of thought.”
“I need to think about something else, and I can’t do that while you’re standing here smelling like heaven and looking like sin. I can’t promise anything, Rome. I’ve got to talk to my father, and then I’ll think about what comes next.”
“I’m worried about you in this house with Anderson.”
“I can take care of myself.”
“I’d rather it was me taking care of you.”
Jules’s instant reaction was to bristle—but he took a breath. “Thank you. I would too, but that’s not realistic right now.”
“How can you get word to me?”
He raised a brow. “Cell phones are good.”
“All our family phones are owned by my father’s company. I can’t be sure mine isn’t monitored.”
“Shit. I thought it was tough being a Havilland.”
“Yeah.”
“Buy a burner phone with some of that money you’ve been stashing away.”
“I’ll try. Are you sure your phone’s okay?”
Was he? “We’ve got so little security, I can’t imagine anyone getting it together enough to tap our phones. I had this phone in New York.”
“Okay. But remember, Anderson made some of his money in telecommunications. Of course, I doubt the police care about that aspect of his business.” Rome stepped in, and Jules couldn’t resist folding into his arms.
Their lips met, turned sweet, then hungry, and Jules pulled away. “I’ll be in touch.”
“We’ll find a way, Jules.”
“From your lips to the wolfgods’ ears. Be careful, please.”
“You too.” Rome turned, climbed down the trellis, ran halfway across the open space to the trees, and morphed in the literal blink of an eye into a huge black wolf. Wow. Powerful.
Jules wiped a hand across his eyes and strode to the door of his bedroom. Time to face all the music.
He opened the door slowly and peered out into the hall. No one. Walking softly, he sneaked toward Anderson’s door and sniffed. Not there. Damn. Hurrying to the staircase, he listened, then ran down, hopping over the railing at the bottom and slipping into the drawing room in case Donald showed up. Nobody. Okay, closer. He tiptoed out and down the hall toward his father’s office. A TV blared in the small study, and a glance showed Merkel, one of the few pack members who still served Gerard pretty faithfully, sitting sprawled in a chair watching some dancing show. As Jules got closer, voices sounded through the office door—close by. Turning, he ran a couple of steps and slid into the study with Merkel, who looked up, startled, then leaped to his feet. “Oh, sorry, Mr. Havilland. Didn’t see you there.”
“Appreciate the concern.” He smiled and drove through at a leisurely pace. As soon as he was out of Mike’s sight, he sped up. Which way would they have gone? Toward Havilland’s? It was still early. On a hunch, Rome turned right toward the club and, sure enough, as he rode past, Anderson was just walking around his car toward the passenger door. Okay, no chance to talk to Jules yet—plus if he didn’t get home soon, his father would send somebody to look for him.
He gritted his teeth and kept driving. Back to the question. If a takeover came, what were Rome’s chances of staying with Jules? Slim, meet none. Yolanda was right about one thing, although she didn’t know it. Rome might be Michael—the only alpha in his family besides his father. Both Federico and Anthony were older by a few years than Rome. Alpha advantage would likely have shown up by now and, unlike Rome, they had no reason to hide it. If that were true, hell, he’d never get away. He’d be alpha of Havilland pack, married to Yolanda for credibility, and not one moment of his life lived as who he really was. His stomach turned. Damn, damn, damn. What in hell should I do?
By the time he pulled the Mercedes into the garage at the mansion, no great decision had dawned—just a lot of vague thoughts and gnawing unease. He slid out and walked in the kitchen door. Maybe no one would be around and he could just go think.
His phone buzzed. Fuck. “Yes, Dad?”
“You’re back early. We’re all in the office.”
All. Damn. He clicked off and dead-man walked his way down the hall. All turned out to be his brothers and Grandfather Lawrence, along with his dad.
“Come on in, Rome. Grab a drink. We’re anxious to hear what happened.”
“Thank you, sir.” He ambled to the bar and carefully sorted through the white wine bottles. Sadly, his father knew killing time when he saw it.
“Pick one. You usually like sauvignon blanc.”
Sighing very softly—Why can’t I think of what to say except the truth?—he sloshed some wine in a glass and walked to the couches. Lawrence scooted over and made room for him. At least he’d have that comfort.
When he sat, everyone in the room except Lawrence leaned forward anxiously. His father asked the question. “What was her agenda?”
“She’s worried about her pack.”
Anthony gave a rude laugh. “I thought for sure you were gonna say, ‘She likes my cute ass.’”
Rome flashed his snarkiest smile. “I never said she didn’t.” He leaned on his knees, cradling his wine. “She’s concerned about Anderson. Yolanda’s a smart female, and she sees the same thing we do. Anderson has a hidden agenda, and she thinks it could be bad for Havilland. Even worse than Gerard.”
“I see.” His father sat back, his big chest rising and falling. “She is smart. And she came to you because—” He made a rolling gesture with his hand.
Fuck. He couldn’t think of a story that made sense. “She thinks Siracusa should take over Havilland.”
Anthony shouted, “What the fuck?”
Rome looked up and his eyes met his father’s. “And call it an alliance.”
Lawrence’s warm hand rested on Rome’s back, out of sight of the others. He understood the implications.
Anthony sneered, “Alliance? What does that mean? They’ll be lucky if we keep them alive.”
His father speared Anthony with a look that would have melted steel. “An alliance through marriage would unite the packs without war.”
“Marriage?”
Federico nodded. “Of course. A marriage between Yolanda Montgomery and Rome. She has the blood.”
“Rome?” Anthony still hadn’t caught up.
“Yes.” Federico looked at Anthony, whom he’d coddled and brought along his whole life. “Father goes to Havilland and proposes an alliance through marriage. If Gerard gets Anderson out of the picture, we’ll provide the needed finances to get their pack back on its feet. And, of course, we’ll take control.”
Lawrence patted against Rome’s back. Sorry, old man. Even your comfort can’t make up for a forsaken life.
His father folded his hands on his flat stomach. “How fortuitous, Rome, that you no longer have to court a female you find stupid in favor of what must be the smartest bitch in Dark Harbor.”
Rome looked up. “There’s a complication.” Shit, he didn’t want to say this, but he was pack, and while he might want to run away and never return, he couldn’t leave his kin in danger.
“What?” His father frowned.
“At dinner with Yolanda, we were seen by the Havilland son.”
Anthony roared again. “What the fuck!”
“That’s not good news.” His father glanced at Lawrence.
Rome said, “I stayed and watched him leave the restaurant with Anderson. Anderson didn’t appear to be in a hurry or look upset. I followed them home, and they went to the club. It doesn’t appear that Jules told Anderson anything.”
Federico shook his head. “That doesn’t make sense. He’d have to recognize that a meeting between Rome and Yolanda is nefarious.”
“Or some illicit fuckfest.” Anthony drank a mouthful of wine.
Lawrence spoke softly. “Yes, it does make sense. Rome has told us that Jules Havilland doesn’t appear excited about marrying Anderson. He’s also a smart male. He realizes that regardless of why Rome and Yolanda were meeting, it could get him out of his situation. He may be waiting to see what happens.”
Rome stared into the bottom of his glass. Jules is waiting to see what I do next.
His father set his glass of red on the coffee table firmly. “Regardless, it means we have to act fast. We need to get a proposal of alliance drawn up.” He stood. “Rome, figure out what you need to handle before you get married. Do it fast.” His father walked behind his desk.
The only thing he could think of he needed to do was jump off a bridge. Of course, with his alpha advantage, he’d probably live.
Five minutes later, he left his father’s office to “figure out what he needed to handle.” Five steps out the door, he broke into a run and raced to his rooms. Inside, he changed into jeans and sneakers, grabbed a windbreaker, messed up his bed and put some pillows under the covers, then slid out his window and hopped the short distance to the ground. Crouching low, he ran to the edge of the big property and stared into the woods.
The almost new moon shone little light through the dense trees and foliage. He glanced at his watch. Getting to Jules’s house in human form would take forty minutes at least, depending on how many times he had to hide. No one would expect to see a wolf in Dark Harbor, especially nowhere near the full moon. He sat on the loamy ground and started stripping.
JULES lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling and vibrating like a tuning fork. Should I get up and tell my father what I saw? Shit! What could they have been up to? Was there danger for his pack? Rome might be his dream walking, but he was still a Siracusa.
Fuck!
He swung his legs over the side of the bed, slid on his flip-flops, and stood. I’ll go talk to Father. See how drunk he is. I’ll decide how much to say after I get there.
He strode out of his room and started down the hall. Donald had stayed again that night, after making yet another attempt to get Jules into bed. As he approached, Jules saw Donald’s door ajar. Maybe Father’s with him—negotiating?
He approached and raised a hand to knock.
“No, Eric, nothing yet. I’m going to agree to more than I plan to deliver, just to get this fucking contract written. Once it’s done, it’s done.”
Jules stopped dead when he heard Donald’s voice and pressed his ear closer.
“No, I can’t bring any of you in until after the wedding, but go ahead and create the systems. The house is huge. Once we have it, we’ll have plenty of room and lots of security. This place is so hush-hush, no law enforcement ever gets close to it. It’s perfect. We’ll even have members of the family to give us alibis.” He laughed. “Yes, I am a genius. What?” He made a rude noise. “Oh yeah, the dude’s gorgeous. One delicious piece of ass. Okay, yeah. Talk soon. I’ll call as soon as I conclude negotiations. I’m headed to a meeting with the old lush right now.”
Jules slipped back from the door and ran to his room like Anderson had just set his delicious piece of ass on fire.
Chapter Twelve
THE large black wolf slipped through the dense, overgrown bushes outside the Havilland mansion. He sniffed the air. Dogs. Bad. Running around the fence perimeter, he snuffled at the base, looking for a weakness. The rattling of loose wire stopped him, and after a minute’s dedicated digging, he slid under the fence.
Belly almost to the ground, he hurried across the open lawn to the building.
“Woof! Woof!” Wild barking sounded around the edge of the house. The big wolf stopped still, raised his hackles, and bared his teeth. “Urrrrrrr.”
One large dog raced around the corner and stopped so fast his paws dug up chunks of dirt. His eyes widened, he whined, and then he backed up slowly until he disappeared around the corner again.
The wolf sucked wind, shook himself like a huge rag doll, and cast off his body in favor of human form. Rome arched on hands and knees on the dirt—nude. If he could design clothes that shifted with his wolf, he could sell a lot of them in Dark Harbor. With a spring, he grasped the vines that grew to the top of Jules Havilland’s balcony.
As he got close to the top of the wall, he slowed and sniffed. While his sense of smell was even better in wolf form—literally detecting diseases and what people ate three meals before—his human nose could pick up bolder strokes, like sensing which people or wolves had visited a location over the previous few days. He didn’t need much smelling subtlety right then. The scent of orange blossoms filled his head and flooded his heart. He’s here.
JULES stopped in midpace and stared toward the french doors that led to the balcony. He’s here. His fists clenched as he hurried to the door in time to see Rome Siracusa climb over the top of the balcony rail—naked. Whoa! Even pissed-offedness and suspicion couldn’t dim the sheer prurient majesty of the view. Rome’s tall, lean body, covered with tattoos, dipped and ripped in all the right places—wide shoulders, carved chest, flat belly with something more than a six-pack. But Jules’s gaze kept dipping south, where a large, low-hanging cock and balls dominated the landscape. Glare, don’t stare. Jules folded his arms. “Moonbathing?”
He grinned. “Sorry. I wanted to get here fast.”
“Less wind resistance this way?”
Rome shrugged, and the truth washed over Jules. Rome had shifted so he could travel faster. Jules glanced up at the sky, where a sliver of a moon shone forth weakly. “Are your brothers alphas too?” Three alphas in the next generation of Siracusas would make them powerful, if not unstoppable.
“I don’t know. I don’t think so.”
“Why don’t you know? They’re old enough to have been revealed.”
He leaned on the parapet and stared at his bare feet. “My family doesn’t know I’m alpha. I never told them.”
“What? Why?”
“I’ve always held on to the possibility that I might have to leave the pack—once they discover I’m gay. I figured losing an alpha, especially if I turn out to be the only one in the family, would make them track me even harder.” He shrugged.
Jules compressed his lips. “What were you doing with Yolanda?”
“I gather you haven’t told anyone.”
“That doesn’t mean I won’t.” He paced a step to the side, then faced Rome again. “Anderson’s planning something, and it sounds nefarious. I overheard him on the phone about a half hour ago. He’s with my father now or I’d be there.”
“What do you mean by ‘nefarious’?”
Jules shook his head. “It sounds like he’s planning to move a lot of his people into the mansion, and he specifically mentioned the lack of human law enforcement in Dark Harbor.”
“Shit.” Rome wiped a hand over his neck.
Jules wrapped his arms tightly around himself. “You haven’t answered my question about Yolanda.”
“She’s worried about the future of your pack.”
“Not news.”
“She figures that my father might do a better job of keeping Anderson out.” He stared at his feet again.
“Your father? You mean Siracusa should take over Havilland?” His heart squeezed. Every instinct said Siracusa was the enemy.
“Just think about it for a second. I know we’ve both been trained to hate each other’s packs, but isn’t it possible that Anderson’s the real enemy?”
“That doesn’t excuse a takeover.”
“Maybe not.” He let out a long breath. “Can you think of another option? Short of letting Anderson take over?”
“Maybe I misunderstood. Maybe he really wants to help the pack.” His voice sounded pleading even in his own ears.
“Do you believe that?”
“No, dammit.”
“Do you think Anderson is alpha?”
He shook his head. “Oddly, no. I doubt it. Powerful but not alpha.”
“That’s something, anyway.” Rome stared up at the tiny moon, its light gleaming softly off his beautiful, architectural face. “I’ll be honest. I love my family and I want the best for the pack, but I don’t want to spend my life with a female in order to assure that.” He released a soft breath. “I want to spend my life with you.”
“What?” His heart slammed so hard against his ribs, they should have cracked.
“Is that a surprise? I told you I wanted to be your wolfie.”
“But that’s different than spending our lives together, isn’t it?” Jules slapped a hand against the side of the brick building. “Damn it, Rome, don’t make me dream when there’s no chance it can come true.”
“We’ve got to find a way.”
“How?” He whirled on Rome. “If Siracusa takes over Havilland and you’re the only alpha, I’ll end up watching you marry a female and produce lots of little furries while my heart breaks in two.” He glared at Rome. “They’ll never let you leave. Your father has to suspect you’re alpha. I suspected. He’s no dummy.”
“He doesn’t know I’m gay.”
“You think he’s going to care?”
“Of course. He’ll hate it.” He spat out the words.
Jules ran both hands through his hair. “But it won’t make a whisker’s worth of difference. He’ll believe that marrying you to a female will persuade you away from your misguided tendencies, and that will be that.” He pressed a hand against his chest to keep his heart from falling out. “If you run, he’ll chase you.”
Rome covered the space between them and gathered Jules into his arms. Jules thrashed, but Rome held him against that hot, silky skin. “We’ll think of something.”
“Don’t be stupid.”
“I’m not. Honest. We’ll find a way. If you genuinely want to be with me, I’ll move heaven to make it happen.”
“Sweet gods, that means not just fighting my father and Anderson, but yours too.”
“Yes, that’s what it means.”
“Does your father know you met with Yolanda?”
“Yes. He knew before I went, and my whole family was waiting for me when I got back.”
Jules wrenched himself free from Rome’s grasp. “Fuck! That means he’s already halfway to a takeover, right? I haven’t got any time to try to work things out on this end.”
“How would you work things out?”
Jules started pacing again. “I don’t know. But I have to go to my father and tell him about what I heard Anderson say. It’s not fair to keep it secret. Donald may be done with his talk with my father. I’ve got to get down there.”
“Shall I wait for you?”
“You can’t come inside. They’ll scent you for sure. It’s bad enough here on the balcony.”
“I can wait out here.”
Jules stared at every beautiful, shining inch of Rome. “No. You’re too much of a temptation. I feel like I’m being ripped in half, and all I can think of is sucking your cock.”
Rome chuckled. “I like your train of thought.”
“I need to think about something else, and I can’t do that while you’re standing here smelling like heaven and looking like sin. I can’t promise anything, Rome. I’ve got to talk to my father, and then I’ll think about what comes next.”
“I’m worried about you in this house with Anderson.”
“I can take care of myself.”
“I’d rather it was me taking care of you.”
Jules’s instant reaction was to bristle—but he took a breath. “Thank you. I would too, but that’s not realistic right now.”
“How can you get word to me?”
He raised a brow. “Cell phones are good.”
“All our family phones are owned by my father’s company. I can’t be sure mine isn’t monitored.”
“Shit. I thought it was tough being a Havilland.”
“Yeah.”
“Buy a burner phone with some of that money you’ve been stashing away.”
“I’ll try. Are you sure your phone’s okay?”
Was he? “We’ve got so little security, I can’t imagine anyone getting it together enough to tap our phones. I had this phone in New York.”
“Okay. But remember, Anderson made some of his money in telecommunications. Of course, I doubt the police care about that aspect of his business.” Rome stepped in, and Jules couldn’t resist folding into his arms.
Their lips met, turned sweet, then hungry, and Jules pulled away. “I’ll be in touch.”
“We’ll find a way, Jules.”
“From your lips to the wolfgods’ ears. Be careful, please.”
“You too.” Rome turned, climbed down the trellis, ran halfway across the open space to the trees, and morphed in the literal blink of an eye into a huge black wolf. Wow. Powerful.
Jules wiped a hand across his eyes and strode to the door of his bedroom. Time to face all the music.
He opened the door slowly and peered out into the hall. No one. Walking softly, he sneaked toward Anderson’s door and sniffed. Not there. Damn. Hurrying to the staircase, he listened, then ran down, hopping over the railing at the bottom and slipping into the drawing room in case Donald showed up. Nobody. Okay, closer. He tiptoed out and down the hall toward his father’s office. A TV blared in the small study, and a glance showed Merkel, one of the few pack members who still served Gerard pretty faithfully, sitting sprawled in a chair watching some dancing show. As Jules got closer, voices sounded through the office door—close by. Turning, he ran a couple of steps and slid into the study with Merkel, who looked up, startled, then leaped to his feet. “Oh, sorry, Mr. Havilland. Didn’t see you there.”
