Page 41 of Broken Bonds
“Nope. Well, yes, but nothing bad. He said they want to give you time to settle in.”
I try to relax. “Oh. Okay.”
“We’ll go shopping after work. I need groceries, and we can get you work clothes.”
“Sounds good.” I really like Todd, but I’m not so wrapped up in my head that I ignore it’s due in part to him providing me with a job and a safe place to hide.
I don’t want to let my infatuation take over and get me into trouble with the pack.
My immediate priorities are working, learning the ropes, and keeping my head down.
That last part I’m usually damned good at.
I’m determined to do everything within my power to put forth a good impression so I don’t jeopardize my chances.
By the end of the day, I’m exhausted, but Todd appears happy with my efforts. He pays me cash before we load in the ATV and return to the house.
“If you’re around for the long term, Jax and Shawn will get you a new legal identity, if necessary, so we can put you on the books. In this situation, I’m happy to pay you in cash.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it.”
“No problem. Grab a shower and come on over and help me cook dinner. Then we’ll run into town.”
Twenty minutes later, I’m in his kitchen, putting together the salad while he cooks steaks on the stove on a cast-iron griddle.
“I’ve never known an elk shifter before,” I say. “I guess I didn’t think you’d be a carnivore.”
He laughs. “Well, you’re a wolf eating a salad, right?”
“That’s true.” It feels good to easily laugh with someone instead of being laughed at and stoically enduring it, or being heaped with verbal abuse for being “too soft,” or being told to act like an adult. The only fun allowed was Randolph Sterling’s idea of it, and it always came at someone else’s expense.
Usually mine.
An hour later, we’re heading into town, and I finally get to look around at my adopted home. It’s a small, rural town, but there’s a large department store selling clothes, groceries, and other items all in one place. Todd heads for the food section after pointing me in the direction of clothes.
When I catch up with him again I’ve picked up several pairs of jeans, more pairs of work trousers, overalls, work boots, sneakers, socks, shirts, sturdy rain gear, and other assorted items that fill my cart. I hate forking over the cash but I need them. And I grab food I can stash in my apartment. If I need to cook, Todd told me I’m welcome to use his kitchen as long as I clean up after myself, which I’m obviously fine with.
As we drive home—and it feels weirdly good to think about it as home already—I realize that unusual feeling at the base of my skull is…
Safety.
Peace.
The opposite of the nasty tingle I feel whenever I’m worried my dad’s on my tail.
And damn, could I get used to that.
Not to mention Todd’s easy on the eyes. I get the feeling he’s happy to participate in my initiation if I make it that far in the process.
In fact, once we say goodnight and I’m in my apartment, I strip and promptly jerk off thinking about what it’d feel like riding my new boss-slash-landlord’s cock.
And maybe if, once I’m initiated, I could talk him into letting me do it on a regular basis.
Chapter Eighteen
Shawn
Coming to Terms
