“My sister, Larissa.” Adopting Payson’s blunt nature, he stated, “She says you slept with her.” The words felt bitter, even as he spoke them.
To his utter shock, Payson shrugged, spit, and rinsed out his mouth. Once done, he leaned his shoulder against the frame and said, “I’m over a hundred years old, Land. I’ve slept with a lot of people.”
“Well, she seems to remember you,” Land snapped.
That got Payson’s attention. His eyes narrowed and he stalked forward. Land cringed, but all the man did was snatch the phone from his hand and take a closer look at the picture. As Payson stared, he absently stated, “I’ll never intentionally hurt you, Land.”
“What about when you’re a…” he trailed off and frowned.
“Hyena? Oh, my animal knows it’s you. He’s me, too,” Payson said. He scowled at the picture. “You know, she does look familiar. We passed through San Francisco a couple of years ago.” His tone took on an introspective quality as he obviously searched his memories.
Suddenly, his eyes widened. “That’s when I fucked a brunette I thought might be my mate, but my hyena rejected her.” Payson met his gaze and held out the phone. “Makes sense that it was her. Your scents would be awfully similar since you’re siblings.”
The fact that Payson didn’t seem to think anything of the fact that he’d screwed his sister made Land incredibly angry. “Take me home, now,” he ordered, leaping to his feet and striding out of the room.
Land didn’t bother checking to see if Payson followed. If the man didn’t, then Land would walk home. As he strode into the garage, his eyes teared up. Angrily, he brushed the liquid away before it could fall. He didn’t know what hurt more—the fact that Payson hadn’t even said sorry or that he didn’t really seem to think anything of it.
As he neared the bike, memories of last night’s ride home assaulted him. It’d been so hot, so much fun, to be pressed up against Payson. Then the make-out session and orgasm in his pants had been even hotter.
A low growl sounded behind Land, pulling him from his thoughts. He turned and gasped, backing up a step upon seeing the feral light in Payson’s eyes as he stalked toward him. “Payson?” he whispered, concern spiking through him.
“You told me you’d be there for me, and now you think to leave? Are you a liar?” Payson snarled. “Can’t I trust you, mate?”
Land’s jaw dropped and his ire returned. He stood his ground and lifted a hand to point at Payson. “Now you just wait a damn minute,” he snapped. “You screw my sister, don’t think anything of it, and don’t expect me to get upset? What’s up with that? I might just be some computer nerd, but even I find that offensive, okay?” He curled his lip and muttered, “You didn’t even apologize.”
Payson narrowed his eyes and kept coming. Seconds later, Land found himself pinned against the wall. Payson pressed his body against Land’s from chest to thighs and grabbed his arms, pulling them up beside his head.
His face inches from Land’s, Payson murmured, “I guess I should have mentioned that although most shifters can tell a mate on scent alone, I can’t.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, the scientists who held me, fucked with my DNA. I have a badass sense of smell, but had to rely on my hyena to tell me if the person who smelled so good was my mate. The easiest way to do that was to fuck them.” Payson ducked his head and pressed his mouth against Land’s neck. “All those others were just a sea of nameless faces, a way to pass the time as I searched for you.”
“I’m not a liar,” Land murmured, tilting his head to give Payson more access. “It hurt to think that if I hadn’t been your mate, I’d end up just like Larissa. Cast aside at the earliest convenience.”
“You were on your way out the door before I even woke,” Payson pointed out.
Land didn’t know if his flush was caused by embarrassment from being called out on his behavior or from the way Payson’s hard dick rubbed against his own.
“No matter. I would have tracked you down.” Payson nibbled his way up Land’s neck to the sensitive skin behind his ear. “It’s no different than humans going out to pick up a one night stand and then succumbing to love at first sight. We just happen to know it will happen to us and don’t bother fighting it.”
“Love at first sight?” Land murmured. Was Payson saying what Land thought he was saying?
“Sure,” Payson whispered.
“You love me?” He hated how needy he sounded.