Page 11 of Tracker
Tracker couldn’t stop smiling now that Zeus was there. “Thank you for hanging out with me.”
A soft smile touched Shadow’s lips. “Don’t thank me for spending time with my friend. Being married has turned me into a hermit. I’ll try to do better.”
Tracker shook his head. It seemed like he should argue in some way, but Shadow was gone before he found anything to say. His attention snapped right back to Zeus the moment they were alone. “What did you find?”
Zeus sat in Shadow’s vacated seat. He flashed a box Tracker hadn’t even noticed. It was a gaming system they had both been scouring the internet to find. “Holy shit! You found it.”
Somehow, Zeus’ smile got even brighter. “Yep.” He set the box on the desk. “What do you say? Unbox it?”
Tracker scooted as closely as could. “Absolutely.”
Zeus went to work. “I thought we could buy a carrying case for it and just take it from your place to mine, depending on where we’re at for the night.”
“Sounds great. Just tell me how much my half is.”
Zeus paused and kissed him again. “Don’t do that. If roles were reversed, you would’ve paid for it and refused my money.”
Tracker chuckled. “True.”
Zeus’ gaze moved over his face. He turned serious. “I really missed you today.”
“Same.” No amount of seriousness could steal his smile. This was the happiest he had ever been in his life. While he had no idea what tomorrow would bring, today, it felt like he owned the world. He couldn’t worry about tomorrow.
Chapter Five
Afterfinishingaprivatesession, Zeus headed for the bar to grab some water. He left his shirt off and wore a leather band around his arm, signaling he would deal with the pups tonight. The moment he cleared the door into the club area, a sea of leather headed his way, barreling through the crowd. Zeus made a motion for all of them to drop to their knees. The moment they obeyed—one by one—he accepted their leashes.
Zeus praised them as he attached the leashes to each collar. “Such good boys. It’s time for a water break.” With the leashes in hand, he made his way to the bar. It was slow going with six people crawling through the club. Zeus was a patient guy. He was in no rush. Unless a request came in—and they always did—Zeus didn’t have another private session tonight. He needed to keep his vast variety of customers happy. At the bar, Sonny passed him a glass of ice water and prepared water bowls for the pups. Zeus set a bowl on the floor.
“Don’t fight.” Zeus had to bring out his stern voice as two men shouldered each other to get the first drink. “There’s plenty for everyone. Don’t make me put you in doggy timeout.”
One man licked the other’s face in apology while the rest sat on their heels, patiently waiting their turn.
Zeus set the rest of the bowls on the floor. “Don’t make a mess. Only good boys get treats.”
Zeus drank his water, watching the pups drink and play. When he finished his glass, he put the bowls on the bar and reclaimed the leashes. “Let’s go.” He led the pack to opposite side of the club to an area meant for pets. Zeus opened the gate and removed their leashes, setting them free to play. Once he had the gate closed again, he grabbed a box of dog toys and dumped it on the floor for them. “Go wild, but no fighting.” Zeus hardened his voice. “You don’t want to get in trouble. That I can promise you.”
“Is it okay if we talk?”
Zeus glanced over, ready to blast whoever thought they could interrupt him when it was clearly pet night. It was Shadow.
Zeus softened. “Hey. Twice in one day. Is it Christmas?” The heavy flirtation was out of his control, as usual. “Where’s my brother?”
Shadow made a dismissive motion. “He’s up front working on getting us a private room.”
Zeus moved to head that way. “I’ll make sure you get one.”
Shadow stepped into his path. He twisted his fingers, looking nervous. “I need to talk to you about Tracker.”
Nothing could have frozen Zeus faster. “What about him? Is everything okay?” He knew he should have asked Tracker to come to work with him tonight. Zeus couldn’t give him too much alone time to think before Zeus won him.
Shadow waved his hands. “Everything is fine. I just find myself incapable of staying out of this.”
Damn. Zeus had hoped he would have more time before Tracker’s brothers stepped in. “Okay. Say what you came to say, then.” He didn’t mean to sound so defensive, but he was. “As long as you understand I won’t tolerate anyone stepping between Tracker and me. You’ve found your happiness. Don’t try to take it from someone else who’s never known it.”
Shadow never broke eye contact. He didn’t look offended. “It’s not that. Tracker deserves all the happiness I saw in him today.”
Zeus had meant himself, but obviously Tracker too, so he wouldn’t correct Shadow.
