Freeing Demitri's Wolf

more. Heat lit Kiernan’s pale blue eyes, turning them almost silver. “I wanted out of the city, and one of the local construction companies had an opening for a foreman.”
Demitri nodded, struggling to focus on Kiernan’s words and ignore the clear appreciation in his eyes. “Right, because Gus left.” He hadn’t known the rhino shifter well, but he knew Gus had mated with a gargoyle. They’d moved south to join a gargoyle clutch.
“You know about that?”
Shrugging, Demitri pointed out, “Small town. Everyone knows just about everything.”
“Ah, still getting used to that.”
Demitri nearly jolted in his seat when a sock-clad foot rubbed against his calf.
Kiernan smirked warmly, obviously knowing he’d surprised him. “So, I guess that means you’re okay with being paired with an older man?” he crooned.
Demitri licked his lips as his body flushed hot. “A sexy silver fox like you?” he murmured, taking a stab at being coy. “What’s not to like?”
Suddenly, the foot was gone, as was the mirth in Kiernan’s beautiful silver-blue eyes. Demitri wondered if it was something he’d said. “In the spirit of sharing, that would be my ex-wife,” Kiernan revealed. “I figure you should know that I’ve been married, have a daughter, and I’m pretty damn set in my ways.”
Oh! Wow!
At least that revelation got his erection under control.
“How, uh…” He didn’t know what to ask about first.
Finally, he frowned and muttered, “Are you bisexual?”
“Ah, not really,” Kiernan admitted, sitting back and setting his fork and knife down, his expression serious. “I was in denial. We had a contraceptive mishap. Swayed by our parents, we married. I knew it was a mistake, but I did it anyway.”
“What happened?”
Kiernan sucked in a deep breath, then met his gaze levelly. “Maggie, my wife, discovered my stash of gay porn.
According to her note, it was in the attic.” His face twisted in a grimace. “I didn’t even remember where I’d shoved it when we moved in together.”
Scoffing, his eyes glittered with emotion. “I got home from work one day to a box of DVDs resting in the middle of the living room with her note taped on top. I’d just opened the fucking box when I heard my daughter crying in her room.” His lip curled into a snarl as his memories seemed to swamp him. His hands clenched into tight fists where they rested on the table. “Maggie had left while Valerie was down for her nap. She was only two fucking years old and she left her all alone.”
Demitri could scent the tension, anger…and even fear rolling off the man as he seemed to relive his memories.
Wanting to ease his mate’s mind, Demitri reached across the table and grabbed onto his hand. “Hey, look at me,” he urged softly. When angry eyes met his own, a thought struck him. “Was Valerie okay?”
All the fight seemed to go out of Kiernan. He blew out a quiet breath. “Yeah,” he murmured. “Yeah.”
Demitri squeezed his hand, relieved to hear that.
Kiernan gave him a wan smile. “At least it made it easy to gain custody of Valerie. Charges of abandonment are always taken seriously.”
Nodding, Demitri searched for something else to ask.
Fortunately, he didn’t have to.
Turning his hand, Kiernan twined their fingers together.
“She’s in college now in Colorado Springs. Studying to be a CPA. She’s very smart.”
Demitri still had no idea what to say, so he simply smiled and nodded.
Peter arrived and asked if he could get them anything.
Kiernan shook his head and asked for the check.
Demitri remained silent and popped the last bite of steak into his mouth. It had been a delicious steak.
“Ah, to be young and have a swift metabolism again,”
Kiernan teased. Laugh lines appeared around his eyes as he smiled at Demitri. “Where do you put it all?”
He wasn’t certain how to answer that. It wasn’t like he could tell Kiernan about how shifters had higher metabolisms and could easily pack plenty of food away.
Instead, he decided on, “Must be all the hiking. It keeps me in shape.”
Kiernan guided Demitri from the restaurant. Demitri liked how his mate’s hand felt on his back. He really liked how Kiernan seemed unable to stop touching him, like now, on his back, or holding his hand at the table. It felt good, really good, and Demitri wanted more.
Gentle pressure kept Demitri moving toward the parking lot. He found himself standing next to a fairly old black four-by-four pickup truck. Kiernan moved his hand to Demitri’s shoulder. Goose bumps broke out over his skin when Kiernan began to rub the nape of his neck with his thumb.
A shiver worked through him, causing his nipples to bead. He fought back a whimper as the erection he’d been trying to hide most of the date twitched in his jeans. He just knew he was leaking a wet spot.
“I’d like to see you again,” Kiernan said, walking around him so they faced each other, although he never removed his hand from Demitri’s neck.
Demitri struggled against the urge to bare his throat to Kiernan, knowing, as a human, he wouldn’t understand the move. That didn’t stop his wolf from rolling over in his mind and showing his belly to the strong human.
Then he realized Kiernan was still talking.
“Are you working at the diner tomorrow?”
Nodding, Demitri gazed at the older man through his lashes. “I go in at one and work until nine.”
“Hmm,” Kiernan responded. “Perhaps you’d be interested in going for an evening hike then? You mentioned you enjoyed hiking. Know any good places you could show me that wouldn’t take too long?”
Demitri’s mind immediately went to all the things they could do in the solitude of the forest. His mate could lay him down on a bed of fragrant pine needles, pin him between the earth and his broad, heavy body. His cock oozed in his jeans, and he desperately wanted something to rut against.
Finally getting enough presence of mind together, Demitri nodded. “Yeah, I know a couple short hikes that are really nice.”
The hand on his neck slid around to cup his