Catlin's Appaloosa(13)

Catlin smiled at his lover.“Thanks, baby.”

Reaching the kitchen, Catlin glanced at the contents of the refrigerator.“Turn the oven on and reheat that pizza. Would your friends like that, baby?”

Gallo nodded.“Yeah. Good idea.”

They quickly tossed the last three slices of the first pizza into the microwave and the extra pizza Gallo had made into the oven. Catlin pulled out several beers, gave Gallo a quick kiss because he couldn’t get enough of his lips, and took the beverages to the living room.

“Here you go,” he said, handing a bottle to each of the men and leaving one on the coffee table for Gallo. He straightened and glanced around at the men. All four of them were good-sized guys ranging from about six foot to six foot five or so. The big guy was obviously the leader judging by the way the others discreetly watched him and took their lead from him.

“How did Gallo end up here?”

Catlin straightened and met Kontra’s hard gaze head on. “He was attacked and left in an alley. He was in a coma for five days and woke with amnesia.”

“And he ended up in your home how?” Kontra raised a brow, obviously waiting for an answer.

Narrowing his eyes, Catlin’s jaw clenched for a second. He took a deep breath and reminded himself these were Gallo’s friends and had saved him from…well…something. Catlin couldn’t deny his worry. Since his lover’s pals had arrived, his man could possibly leave him. Surely, he could convince Gallo that he had more to offer him than these guys. They might be fellow shifters, but Catlin could give him a home, and eventually, maybe even love. He already cared greatly for the man, and Gallo seemed to care for him in return. Wait. Are these guys shifters, too?

He decided to test the waters.“His appaloosa likes me.”

“That’s rare. I’ve only seen his appaloosa a handful of times in the fifteen years he’s traveled with us,” a tall, slender guy in the back said.“Kontra told us he shifted to help you.”

Okay, so they know he’s a shifter. Does that mean they can turn into horses, too? Or are they something else? Because they sure as hell aren’t human! Just the idea of sitting across from guys who could turn into wild animals, men Catlin didn’t need to fuck more than he needed his next breath, had his heart rate shooting through the roof. He took a deep, soothing breath to settle his nerves. He reminded himself one more time that his own lover was a shifter and it didn’t bother him before saying, “My partner on the force was frustrated with my decision to pass the case to him. He didn’t believe me when I told him I’d gotten too close to the victim. He believed me after that,” he said flatly.

“Okay, here’s some pizza in case anyone is hungry,” Gallo interrupted, bustling into the room. He set the tray on the coffee table along with plates, napkins, and silverware.

Kontra lifted a brow, and Catlin had to admit he was pleased the guy deferred to him in his home.“Help yourselves,” he said, waving a hand at the food.“As you know, Gallo called his friend Brad. The guy helped my man make a hell of a pizza.”

“Brad’s a great cook. We already miss him on the road,” Kontra stated, leaning forward and grabbing a plate and a slice of pizza. The others followed suit, and Kontra added,“This is Eli, Haben, and Payson,” he added, pointing first to the tall, slender brunet, then to a broad-shouldered, black haired African American, and finally at a toned, shorter redhead.

“Nice to meet you all,” Catlin replied easily.“Are you human or horse shifters?” he asked bluntly. It couldn’t hurt to try to confirm his suspicions.

Kontra took his question in stride.“We’re shifters, but not horse shifters.” He set his plate on his knee and leveled an even stare on Catlin.“Let me ask you this, why did you bring Gallo here?”

Catlin took Gallo’s hand in his, but his gaze remained fixed on Kontra. It didn’t escape him that the man hadn’t actually answered his question about what kind of shifters they were, but he answered anyway. “I’ve asked myself that a number of times,” he admitted.“I’ve never responded to another man like I do him. Gallo calls to all my instincts.” He moved his focus to the man in question and squeezed his hand. “He’s sexy as hell. I can’t keep my hands off him. I want to protect him from the world. And I’d love to hunt down whoever left those marks on his back and slice them to ribbons.”

His last words were whispered, and Gallo gasped. Catlin grimaced. “I saw them when we fucked yesterday, baby, then you said Kontra helped you out of a bad place. If it was some kind of slave ring or something, I’ll do everything I can to bring them down. I want to bring to justice anyone who hurt you.”