On the Ragged Edge of the World

Chapter 1-2

“Jesus,” August muttered. “I heard he was good-looking, but that’s just a little ridiculous.”

“I know, right? And you should see him when he…” Darren paused and cleared his throat. “If he comes over here, let me do the talking.”

Her head whipped around. “Do you realize who’s with him?”

Domingo shadowed Aden, as he always did, but that was the only person he recognized. “Should I?”

“That’s Terence Oakes standing next to him. He’s Senator Barber’s chief of staff. The one who made the fraud charges disappear without ever going to trial.”

Darren shrugged nonchalantly, though he felt anything but. He couldn’t be nonchalant about Aden’s lifestyle. It was still more than a little overwhelming, though he didn’t want August to know that. “Aden has an obvious interest in local politics.”

“Is that what you tell yourself so you can sleep at night?”

“Honest, August, I don’t…” He was going to explain that he had no trouble sleeping in Aden’s bed, but the man himself shifted direction and approached their table. Over his shoulder, Domingo shot daggers at Darren. Darren smirked back at him before smiling at Aden. “Fancy seeing you here.”

Aden didn’t return the smile. “I didn’t realize you had a date.” He turned to August and held out his hand. “Aden Richter.”

“August Hogue.” She glanced at his offered hand twice before finally lifting hers to accept his greeting. Aden immediately bent over it and skimmed his lips across her knuckles, though at the very first contact, she snatched it back.

Aden straightened, unflustered by her abrupt withdrawal. “Have you ordered yet? I strongly suggest the salmon. You won’t find anything better to melt in your mouth.” The corner of his mouth lifted. “Unless you ask me, of course.”

Darren wanted to slip from his chair and crawl up Aden’s body. If they were at home, he would. But the middle of a very busy restaurant—one Aden apparently frequented—was not appropriate.

“We were just discussing how good the salmon is here.” He glanced around Aden’s body. “Are you here on business?”

“Yes. I’m curious as to why you’re here, though. I don’t remember you telling me you had plans today.”

Darren’s lips thinned slightly. Aden didn’t take the time to fill Darren in on his daily schedule, and Darren didn’t see any reason why he should clear his plans with Aden. “Actually, it was rather last minute. August called me this morning and asked if we could meet to catch up.”

Though Aden nodded, Darren knew he wasn’t completely pleased with the response. Aden turned an apologetic smile back to August.

“Do you mind if I borrow Darren for a moment? There’s something I’d like to discuss with him. I promise, I’ll bring him back in one piece.”

Behind him, Domingo stiffened. “Aden—”

“Let Mr. Oakes know I’ll join him momentarily.” Aden didn’t even glance back at him, too intent on August. “You don’t mind, do you, Ms. Hogue?”

“No. Go ahead.”

Darren stood, smiling apologetically. “We won’t be long, I’m sure.”

Though August was smiling, the look in her eye demanded to know what the hell was going on. Darren strongly suspected, but he couldn’t do anything but offer a small shrug as Aden turned his back to the table. Darren followed Aden’s broad shoulders and perfect ass as he wound his way through the dining room to the restrooms in the back. Nobody paid any attention to them as they slipped into the bathroom.

“Are you sure you can spare a few minutes away from your meeting?” Darren asked, the door swishing shut behind him. “Domingo seemed quite alarmed.”

Part of him had expected Aden to immediately shove him into the wall and pin him there. It wouldn’t have been the first time it had happened, after all. So when Aden folded his arms over his chest and leaned against the edge of the marble vanity to fix an icy hot stare on Darren, he was mildly disappointed.

“We had a deal.”

“I know,” Darren said carefully. “But she said she needed to talk to me. I figured she wouldn’t suggest a place like this if she planned to do any of Jasmine’s dirty work.”

“She’s still Argenti.”

“She was once a friend. And she had information that she thought was helpful.”

“And again, I’ll say, she’s Argenti, gorgeous. Remember them? They’re the ones who want you dead and dismembered.”

“I remember, sunshine, but I gotta say, I would rather take my chances with August here than sit around the house by myself, or wait for Nick or Enzo to finally snap and pick a fight with me.”

“Only problem with that is you didn’t tell me what you were doing. Makes it a little hard to keep my promise.”

Darren moved to Aden’s side and smoothed his fingers down Aden’s jacket. “It’s not going to happen again. I doubt anybody else will want to speak to me, and I don’t want to talk to them.”

Aden’s nostrils flared, but he otherwise didn’t move. “What did she want that was so important?”

Darren hesitated, remembering his promise to August not to repeat her words. If she was right, chances were good Aden already knew. Nobody in his pack could even buy new clothes without Aden somehow being aware of it. “What Jasmine was telling everybody in Argenti. About me. The order to shoot on sight if I ever show my face again. What a traitor I am. Things like that.”

“And she’s telling you these things out of the goodness of her heart, or does she have some other motivation?”

“August is smart. Smart enough not to believe a story like Jasmine’s without some sort of evidence. I think she wanted to hear my side. Or maybe she just wanted to make sure I didn’t look like a…I believe she said a chew toy left under the couch.”

For the first time since entering the bathroom, Aden’s mouth relaxed. It wasn’t quite a smile, but there was enough humor there for Darren to comfortably exhale.

“Obviously, she just didn’t know where to look.” His hand slipped out from within his armpit to dust away invisible lint from Darren’s shirtfront. “You should have told me you were meeting an Argenti agent, though. I would expect anyone in my pack to tell me about potential danger, and whether she’s your friend or not, she’s still dangerous.”

“I know what she’s capable of.” And furthermore, Darren knew what he was capable of. Despite Aden’s warning, Darren wasn’t exactly a weakling. He had been trained for nearly his entire life to fight and kill werewolves. August didn’t have any moves that Darren couldn’t predict. “If any of them ever contact me again, you’ll be the first to know.”

“I better be.” His gaze dropped to Darren’s mouth, heavy-lidded and hungry. “I didn’t choose you just to lose you this soon.”

Darren’s earlier annoyance dissipated, like it always did when Aden looked at him that way. He stepped closer, inhaling the soft, familiar scent of Aden’s cologne. He liked the spicy scent that couldn’t quite hide Aden’s natural musk, and Darren didn’t want anything more than to nuzzle against Aden’s cheek and neck. As near as he could tell, Aden radiated some sort of pheromone or hormone. Something that clouded Darren’s mind and made him forget everything except being as close as humanly possible.

“You’re not going to lose me any time soon. I think you might be stuck with me for a while.”

A large hand came up to cup the back of Darren’s head. Aden’s strength was implacable, though the last thing Darren wanted was to pull away. He remained motionless as Aden bent his head to drag his tongue along the sharp line of Darren’s jaw. It was slow and deliberate, and left his heart racing, anxious for all the promise that sensual mouth held.

“Are you always going to be this much trouble?” came the silken query. “Because I might have to start thinking of new ways to teach you some lessons if that’s the case.”

Darren shivered at the promise. Before meeting Aden, he hadn’t been interested in anybody teaching him certain lessons. “Honestly? I probably will be. But I think you knew that when you met me.”

His low chuckle reverberated right through Darren, shooting straight to his c**k. “Sometimes I think that’s exactly why I chose you.”

Darren turned his head, pressing his lips to Aden’s jaw. His skin wasn’t smooth. Light stubble brushed against his mouth. “You do enjoy a challenge. I’ve noticed that about you.”

Slowly, Aden rubbed his thumb in small, hypnotic circles at the base of Darren’s ear. His breath was already quicker, and when he shifted slightly to pull Darren closer into his body, his c**k was hard against Darren’s hip. “How am I supposed to sit through my meeting with you on the other side of the room?” Aden licked along the outer curve of his lobe, catching the fleshy bit between his teeth. “I’m not going to be able to give Mr. Oakes my undivided attention.”

“That is unfortunate.” Darren tilted his head, trying to encourage Aden to move down his neck. There was a spot just below his ear that made everything inside Darren flare to life. Especially when Aden used his teeth. “Would it be easier to concentrate if I finish my lunch somewhere else?”

“No, because then I’ll spend all my time wondering what you’re doing, and why you’re not under the table distracting me even more.”

“This is a conundrum.” He dragged his hand up Aden’s thigh and brushed his fingers over Aden’s erection. “I suppose I could join you. Would Mr. Oakes mind?”

Aden tightened his grip to pull Darren’s head back. Behind his glasses, Aden’s desire-darkened eyes regarded him intently. “What about your Argenti friend?”

It would be unbelievably rude to excuse himself from August so he could dine with Aden. But he’d already made his choice. On Halloween. “I’m with you now.”

His simple declaration drew Aden’s gaze back to his mouth, this time accompanied by a flare of his nostrils. Aden guided him forward, forcing Darren to come to him, and tilted his head at the last moment to seal their lips together. Darren clutched at Aden’s hip, trying to get closer, but Aden kept the kiss as slow as his earlier touches and licking.

Aden had last kissed him earlier that morning, but Darren’s body responded like he had been waiting much longer than that. He parted his lips, letting the tip of Aden’s tongue flick into his mouth. He traced Darren’s lips and teased his tongue, sampling the soft skin for long moments before finally deepening the kiss. Darren moaned his approval as Aden’s tongue slid over his, and he forgot they were in a restroom. He forgot they were even in a restaurant.

Half the time when Aden touched him, he forgot his own name.

Aden fit him between his legs, sliding his free hand down Darren’s spine to mold a palm over his ass. Darren wanted nothing more than for all their clothing to be out of the way, to feel hot skin against hot skin, but Aden seemed all too content to simply knead the taut flesh, to sear his mouth with hungry sweeps of his tongue.

“Is there any chance of just blowing off lunch?” Darren murmured.

Aden licked along his lower lip one last time before sighing and letting Darren go. “No, unfortunately. I’ve been trying to meet with Oakes for ten days. If I cancel now, he’ll make me wait even longer to set another date.”

“Yeah, I guess that wouldn’t be acceptable. What about after lunch? Any other important meetings this afternoon?”

With a smile, Aden straightened, turned to face the mirror, and adjusted the tie that didn’t look like it needed to be fixed. “I do have a store to run, you know. Or are you bound and determined to disrupt every aspect of my life, gorgeous?”

“Why shouldn’t I be? You’ve found a way to disrupt just about everything in my life.”

“I think that would be an argument of semantics.” His twinkling eyes caught Darren’s in their reflections. “But you can make yourself useful this afternoon with Mr. Oakes, if you want to make it up to me.”

Darren grinned. “Who says I want to make it up to you?”

“You do. Because then I’ll need to show my gratitude when we get home.”

Darren nodded thoughtfully. “Yeah, that’s an excellent point. What can I do to make myself useful?”

“Be your usual honest, insightful self. Listen to everything that gets said and offer your opinion when asked. Whether I ask or Oakes does.”

“Okay, but you should know that I don’t follow politics at all. So if the conversation drifts that way, I’m just going to have to smile and look pretty.”

Done with his tie, Aden faced Darren and brushed his thumb across his mouth again. “Because you’re just so good at it.” His voice was husky with affection, but reluctantly, he dropped his hand and stepped away. “I’ll have the waiter make room for you at my table. How are you going to get rid of your Argenti friend?”

“I don’t know. I suppose I’ll just tell her that you need me for the meeting.” He could already hear her scoffing at him for being at Aden’s beck and call. But it was just as well. Aden wouldn’t have been the only distracted one if they were sitting at opposite ends of the restaurant from each other.