Pretty Baby(13)

"Tommy, what if I was to get an apartment somewhere and you came to see  me whenever you wanted to? Would that make your father happy? I could  live there and my father would never need to know about you or your  family."

"What?"

"I'm just thinking. If I were to get an apartment somewhere, like in the  next town over or something, away from your family. You could come and  see me as often as you wanted to and my father never has to know about  you."

"Elliot, are you ashamed of me?"

"God, no!" Elliot shouted then quickly pressed his lips together when he  realized he had yelled at Tommy. He looked down at his hands, wringing  them together in his lap. "No, of course not. I just don't want to cause  trouble for you or your family."

"Elliot, there may be some problems with your father, but we'll work  them out. As soon as my family realizes that I am not going to give you  up, they will come around. If they don't, well then, we'll find  somewhere else to live."

"You're really going to keep me?" That stunned Elliot more than Tommy  shifting into a wolf. Tommy really seemed to want him and Elliot didn't  understand that. No one had ever wanted to keep him, not for the long  haul anyway.

"I'm keeping you, Elliot, and that's a promise."

Elliot couldn't have prevented the smile that came over his face if his  feet were on fire. A spark inside of Elliot ignited and started to burn  brighter and brighter as Tommy smiled at him. Tommy was going to keep  him. Elliot was elated.

"I'd like that," Elliot said. "I'd like that a lot."

"Yeah?" Tommy asked. "Me too, pretty baby, me too."                       
       
           



       

"And the whole furry thing, it's not a problem unless you shed on the  furniture, but I guess I could just buy a really strong vacuum cleaner  or maybe get leather furniture like you have." Elliot snapped his  fingers. "That's why you have leather furniture, isn't it? So you don't  shed all over the place. But what do you do in the bedroom? I mean, like  do you get the sheets all dirty and stuff or-"

Tommy's laughter shut Elliot's words off. "You're a hoot, Elliot. Yes, I  shed, but I try not to shed in the house. I prefer to do the furry  stuff outside as much as possible. And no, I don't eat dog food. I eat  regular food just like you do."

Elliot felt his face flush. He had been going to ask exactly that. "I guess I won't be needing the flea powder then, huh?"

"No, I prefer just a straight shower, thank you very much."

"Need someone to scrub your back?" Elliot winked at Tommy. "And maybe your front?"

"Sweet mercy, you're gonna kill me, Elliot," Tommy groaned. Elliot's  eyes widened when Tommy reached down and thumped the bulge in his jeans a  couple of times.

"Hey," Elliot said loudly as he grabbed Tommy's hand, "don't do that. I plan on using that later."

"Elliot, if I don't do that, we're going to have problems. We're here  and I don't want to walk into my brother's house with a hard on."

Elliot looked out the front window and swallowed past the sudden lump in  his throat as he watched Tommy pull into a driveway. "We're here?  Already?"

"Elliot, it will be okay."

"You're not the human walking into a pack of wolves that don't really want you here. Speak for yourself."

Tommy chuckled, much to Elliot's dismay, but he did reach over and take  his hand. "It will be fine, pretty baby. Just stay next to me and I  promise to bite anyone that comes even close to you."

"Yeah?" Tommy snapped his teeth together, which Elliot found absolutely  hilarious. He started laughing, leaning his head against Tommy's arm.  His laughter started to fade when he felt Tommy kiss the top of his  head.

"Let's go in and deal with the pack, and this business with your father,  and then I'll take you home and fuck you into the wall like I said I  would."

"Promise?" Elliot raised his head to look at Tommy, pleading with his  eyes. He so wanted to be fucked into the wall by Tommy. He'd been  thinking of little else since he met the man, well, except this whole  wolf shifting thing and the animosity with Tommy's family. Tommy smiled.  "Promise, pretty baby."

Elliot nodded and climbed out of the car. He hurried around the front  and grabbed the hand Tommy held out to him. As they started for the  house, Elliot wrapped his free hand around his waist, which felt like it  was doing loops, especially when he saw Daniel waiting for them on the  front porch.

"Dad," Tommy simply said as he nodded.

"Thomas," Daniel replied, giving him a small nod. "Your mother will be  here soon as well as your brother, James, and his mate. I also expect  Ben and Reece will also be joining us at some point."

Tommy nodded again. Elliot was just confused. He didn't know who these  people were and he didn't understand what they had to do with the  current situation. He thought they were going to the sheriff's house to  discuss his father.

Elliot followed Tommy and Daniel into the house, noting its welcoming  feel the moment he stepped inside. Elliot shivered as a strange  sensation ran up his spine. It wasn't a bad sensation, really, but  Elliot couldn't quite understand what was causing it. He chalked it up  to being in an unknown place in a truly strange situation and plastered a  smile on his face when two strange men walked into the room.

"Elliot, you remember my brother, Joe?"

Elliot nodded.

"This is Nate, Joe's mate." Tommy gestured to the smaller of the two men. "Nate, this is Elliot, my mate."

"Oh, Tommy, you found your mate."

Elliot blinked. If he didn't know better, he would swear the man was  bouncing in place. He looked excited, more so than Elliot, but at least  the grin on his face seemed real and not a pleasantry.

"Hello," Elliot said, holding out his hand. He slowly let it drop back  to his side and stepped closer to Tommy when Nate's smile faded and the  man didn't reach for his hand.

"Elliot, Nate doesn't shake people's hands," Tommy said. "He doesn't like touching other people except for my brother, Joe."                       
       
           



       

"Oh." Elliot wondered if it was him or if Nate was that way with all people. It was probably him.

"I'm sorry, Elliot," Nate said. "It's just hard for me to touch other people."

"No, that's okay." Elliot smiled for the man's benefit. "I understand."

He didn't really, but Elliot wasn't going to make waves. He'd made  enough already. If he wanted Tommy's family to accept him, Elliot knew  he'd have to toe the line. That was something he learned very early on  in life. People's acceptance came at a price, and it usually meant he  had to be who they wanted and act the way they expected. Elliot was a  master at pretending.

"Why don't we all sit down so we can talk," Joe said. "Dad filled me in a  little when he called and said you were coming over, but I'm sure you  have more you can tell us."

Elliot followed Tommy over to the couch and sat down as close to him as  he could get while not actually sitting in the man's lap. He felt a  little better when Tommy's arms settled around his shoulders.

"Elliot is my mate," Tommy began as soon as every was seated. "I  explained to him about the pack and even shifted for him. He's accepted  me and that should be the end of it. However, Dad feels that Elliot's  father could be a problem."

"I believe he's right, Tommy. I did a little research after meeting  Elliot and his father is not one to be messed with." Joe's face was grim  as he glanced over at Elliot. "I don't know how much you know about  your father's business practices, but they are not always above board."

"I don't know anything about how my father conducts his business, but I  do know he will do anything to get what he wants. Making the money is  less important to him than how he makes it." Elliot carefully looked at  everyone sitting there, meeting the eyes of each of them. "For my  father, it's all about the hunt. I'm sure you all can appreciate that."

"Your father has his fingers in some pretty shady cookie jars."

Elliot's felt his eyebrows shoot up. "Excuse me?"

"Many of the businesses that your father is involved in are shady, so to  speak. Some of my research led me to believe that he's being  investigated by the federal government because of some of these business  deals."

"Oh, well, that doesn't surprise me."

"It doesn't surprise you?" Joe asked.

"Should it?"

"He is your father."

Elliot grimaced and tried to figure out how to tell this close-knit  family about his relationship with his father. "My mother died when I  was a baby. I think my father resented me for that. I think he holds me  responsible for her death. She may have been the only person he ever  truly loved because I know he never loved me."