Catlin's Appaloosa(10)

“Yeah. He’s very nice. He didn’t even mind when I turned into an appaloosa in his living room,” he added, a smile tugging at his lips.

“You what!” Brad roared.“Bloody hell, Gallo!”

Gallo felt the blood drain from his face, dropped onto a chair, and nearly hyperventilated at the frustration he heard in Brad’s voice.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry I yelled, little bit. Your words were just very…unexpected. Just breathe, Gallo, just breathe.”

The other man’s crooning finally got through to him, and Gallo sucked in deep breaths. “I’m sorry,” he finally squeaked out.“I didn’t mean to. I thought he was being attacked by this other guy, and I had to protect him. I didn’t know it was wrong until Brock freaked out.”

“Shit, there were two humans,” he whispered, then he paused for a second. “And you thought you needed to protect one?” Brad’s surprise came through loud and clear.

“Yeah,” he whispered.“I—I thought the other guy was hurting him and—and—” He couldn’t even begin to express the terror that had swept through him at the thought of something happening to Catlin.

“Okay, Gallo, okay. I’m going to let Kontra know who you’re with, and I’m going to tell him what happened. He’ll be able to make certain nothing bad happens to you.”

“Who’s Kontra?”

“The leader of our motorcycle gang. You won’t be able to miss him, just hold on a sec.”

Gallo nodded absently, even though he knew Brad wouldn’t be able to see it. He heard Brad sharing the information Gallo had just told him to someone named Dagus, who promised to call Kontra right away, then Brad returned to the phone.

“Now, you said you wanted to cook lunch for your man, right?”

“Yeah,” he answered, remembering his original reason for the call.

“Okay, tell me what you have in the pantry to work with and I’ll help you whip up something to wow the guy.”

Relief engulfed Gallo.“Thanks.”

“Baby, I’m home! Where you at?” Gallo jumped up from where he was sitting in the dining room, reading.“In here,” he called.

Footsteps approached and he couldn’t help but smile when Catlin appeared around the corner. When the man opened his arms, Gallo didn’t hesitate to step into the embrace. Catlin cupped Gallo’s jaw, lifted his face, and claimed his mouth in a deep kiss. Immediately, Gallo’s dick responded, and he instinctively pressed his hardening shaft against Catlin’s thigh.

Catlin grunted, and Gallo felt an answering hardness against his hip. Sliding his tongue against Gallo’s in an erotic tango, Catlin took the kiss deeper. He clutched the detective’s shoulders, trying to get closer. Catlin’s arm at his waist tightened, tugging him flush against him.

Gallo wanted to climb the man’s body like a jungle gym, or drop to his knees and suck dry the hard shaft pressing against him. The beeping of the oven timer caught his attention and he groaned.

Catlin chuckled and broke the kiss. “Cooking something, baby?”

“Yes, I made you lunch. I hope you like pizza.”

Catlin’s brows shot up.“You made pizza? I didn’t know I had pizza in the freezer.”

“You didn’t. I called Brad, and he helped me make it from scratch,” he replied happily, pulling the fragrant pan from the oven.

“Really? Uh, who’s Brad?”

Gallo’s brow creased as he set the pan on the wire cooling rack.“I ride my motorcycle with him,” he finally answered. He grinned, immensely pleased with himself. “I remembered!”

A smile creased Catlin’s mouth, but Gallo noticed it didn’t quite reach the other man’s eyes. Worry filled him. Had he done something wrong? Evidently, Catlin must have noticed his trepidation, for he quickly wrapped Gallo in his arms.“I’m very happy for you,” Catlin murmured into his neck.

The vibrations had Gallo instantly relaxing against the bigger man, and the scent of his lover calmed his nerves. “I still don’t remember most things, like where I was going or who I was with, or even most of my friends,” he admitted.

“It’s a start, baby. It’s a start,” Catlin purred. Easing his grip, Catlin inhaled deeply and stared at the pizza on the counter.“That looks amazing! I didn’t know I had sausage or green peppers around here.”

Gallo laughed. “You need to check your freezer and crisper more often,” he teased.

Catlin winked.“I warned you last night that I’m not much of a cook.”

Pulling out the cutting wheel, he quickly went to work creating even slices out of the pizza. “Well, you’re in luck, because it seems that I am a pretty good cook.” Then his face heated, realizing how that sounded. He glanced at Catlin, then at the floor.“I mean… I can create a meal or two when we’re together or—”