Coop drove his hand into Olin’s front pocket, grabbed his car keys, and then tossed them to Karidon. “Have someone pick Olin’s car up.”
“You got it,” Karidon said.
“You’re going to help him kidnap me?” Olin asked Karidon in shock.
Karidon wasn’t smiling. The guy wore a somber expression. “I don’t interfere with Primal Heat. This is something you and Coop will have to work out between yourselves.”
“Gee, thanks,” Olin groused.
Coop moved to his motorcycle and swung his leg over before he started it. The bike roared to life, and Olin couldn’t help but admit how badass Coop looked astride the dang thing. He wore a black T-shirt that was a size too small, jeans that fit like a glove, and that dark beard had Olin ready to pant.
“Get on,” Coop barked at Olin.
“How much could I pay you to give me my keys back?” he shouted to Karidon over the revving of Coop’s bike. The guy was doing that on purpose.
Karidon pocketed Olin’s keys. “See you later.” He gave Olin a halfhearted salute before he rode off.
Olin stood by his car, debating on what he should do. If he had sex with Coop while the man was in heat, they would become bonded mates. If the guy bit him while in Primal Heat, Olin could possibly become pregnant. Those were life-changing decisions, and Coop wanted him to just say okay and hop on his motorcycle?
Over the years, Olin had been careless about a lot of things. He thought things out poorly, made rash judgments, and got himself in a lot of binds. He’d drowned himself in alcohol, partied too hard, and crashed and burned too many times to count.
But this was different. This was forever. There was no going back once the deed was done.
Olin was only twenty-one for fuck’s sake. He wasn’t ready for such a deep commitment, let alone a child. Hell, most days he lost the keys to his car. What if he lost the keys to his kid?
Olin backed away, knowing he couldn’t go through with this. He knew the Primal Heat would last for seven days, and in those seven days, Coop would damn near lose his mind to get to Olin. But Coop would survive. And once the time period was up, Coop wouldn’t go into Primal Heat again, not for Olin at least. It was a one-shot deal. He could go into it for someone else, but not him.
So why did that thought make Olin’s heart feel so heavy?
Olin gave the man one last glance before he turned on his heel and walked away.
Chapter Five
Coop got off his motorcycle and went after Olin. He couldn’t let Olin walk out of his life. Even if the leopard didn’t want what Coop was offering, he knew in his heart that they had to at least be friends. Maybe it was his leopard thinking those crazy thoughts, but Coop had to give this one last shot.
His parents’ relationship was like a fairytale romance, and Coop wanted the same thing. He never let it be known how much of a romantic he was. The guys would razz him nonstop. But he wanted Olin to know what they could have together if the guy just gave him half a chance.
It wasn’t just the Primal Heat compelling him to go after Olin. Coop had been attracted to the man for over a month now. He had denied it when Karidon had claimed that Coop liked Olin. But the truth was, the little leopard flipped his trigger.
“Wait.” Coop grabbed Olin by his upper arm and spun the man around. Olin’s eyes widened slightly as he gazed up at Coop. He let Olin’s arm go and ran his hands through his hair, intertwining his fingers on top of his head as he gazed at the clear blue sky. Coop tried to gather his thoughts, to think of anything that would make Olin stay. But his thoughts were too scrambled.
Now that he had Olin’s attention, he stood there like a freakish mute.
“Coop.” Olin chewed his lower lip as he glanced toward the ground. The shyness the man displayed made Coop only want to wrap the man in his arms. “I can’t handle what you’re asking for. At least not yet. I need time. We haven’t known each other that long, and you want me to give you forever.”
The rejection felt like a hard blow to his gut. Coop was tired of tap-dancing around things. If this was going to work, they both had to lay things out for one another. It might not be pretty, but it had to be said. Olin had to wake up and realize just how much the guy meant to Coop.
“I want you to give me forever?” Coop shook his head in frustration. “Over the past two months that you’ve been coming around, I’ve watched you, Olin and I’ve learned a little about you. When you feel cornered, you run.” Olin had done a lot of running over the past two months. Anytime Coop entered a room, Olin looked as if he were trapped and then took off. It was about time Olin faced the truth. “Are you going to keep living like that, always running from those who only want to get close to you, who only want to get to know you better? I mean, god, aside from your family, you act as if you don’t care about anyone.”