Chapter Ten

Pain and regret radiated in Colt's dark green eyes as Milo stopped a foot from his mate. "We were both being unreasonable. Kellen said he would get me the rest of the day off, so if you're willing to talk, then so am I."

With a nod, Colt led Milo to the passenger side and helped him into the truck. Neither said a word as he drove toward the exit.

Milo's heart beat faster when he saw his uncle's red pickup driving past them as Eric headed toward the store. Was he there to shop or to talk to Milo? It was close to the beginning of the month, so Eric would want Milo's half of the bills.

He prayed his uncle didn't see him as Colt merged with the light traffic on the street, unaware how terrified Milo was right now. After the beating Eric had given him, Milo never wanted to see the asshole again.

Instead of Colt driving them to his house, he took them to the same spot they'd visited in the forest then parked.

"Are we going to hunt for that bear?" Milo asked as Colt cut the motor. He didn't like how quiet his mate had been the entire drive. He wanted to know what was going through Colt's mind.

"No," Colt said. "I'm going to steal a page from Kellen's book, but I wanted to take a walk with you while I did."

With no idea what Colt was talking about, Milo got out. He watched as his mate locked the truck but not before depositing his wallet and phone in the center console. Then he hid his keys behind the same rock as last time.

"Look, Colt," Milo said when his mate joined him by the table, "I can see that you're still upset, and I don't want to get into another argument with you. It's okay if you need more time to cool off. You can just take me back to work, and maybe by tonight we can have this conversation."

When Colt had pulled into the space at the store, his eyes had been filled with misery. Milo thought for sure the guy would apologize and they'd talk the entire ride, but that wasn't the case. He didn't like how solemn Colt appeared.

"I promise I'm not upset with you." Colt took his hand. "I just have something heavy on my mind that I want to share with you, but I'm honestly not looking forward to talking about it."

Milo followed next to him, noticing how Colt tempered his long strides so Milo didn't have to walk faster. "If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to."

They took the same path as before, which made Milo look around for any sign of that large bear.

"Tell me about your mom," Colt said.

"She was wonderful," Milo replied.

"Was?" Colt looked down at him, his brows furrowed.

"She died three years ago after a car accident. She veered into a ditch. The roads were icy and visibility was crap. By the time she was found, she'd already died." Milo cleared his throat. He still wanted to cry whenever he talked about her.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Colt gently squeezed his hand. "What made her wonderful?"

Milo had no idea why Colt was asking, but he recalled what his mate had said about his own mother the night they'd met. "I never knew my dad. He bailed when she found out she was pregnant with me. My mom raised me by herself. She worked long hours but always made time for me."

"Did she bake you cookies and give you hugs?"

"Yes to both. We didn't have a lot of money, but I never felt as if we were lacking for anything." He told Colt about the zoo, movie night, and all the ways she'd made his childhood, and adulthood, special.

"When I was twenty, my mom met a guy," Milo said. "They got married a month later, but the marriage didn't last long."

"If it's okay, can I ask why?"

The forest was so different during the daylight. It seemed friendlier with the sound of birds chirping and a light breeze rustling the leaves. The sunlight poked through the canopy in various spots, but it felt ten degrees cooler now that they weren't in the direct sunlight.

"I've always lived at home. It's hard to afford your own place when you have a minimum-wage job. My mom didn't mind, and I thought of us as a team. While my mom was dating Chris, he seemed cool with me being there. It was after they were married that he began making comments that I was an adult and should've moved already. I tried to stay away as much as possible because they were newlyweds and would naturally want time for themselves, but that wasn't good enough for him. Chris and my mom argued about that a lot, among other things."

Colt remained quiet, staring ahead as Milo talked, but Milo knew the guy was listening to him.

"After six months, they divorced. I felt guilty for the longest time because a lot of their arguments were about me still living at home. I've been working since I was sixteen, helping my mom with the bills. Chris made me feel worthless, and whenever my mom wasn't home, he would say I was the cause of their failing marriage."

"How old are you?" Colt asked, still holding Milo's hand.

"Twenty-seven." Milo remembered what the deputy had said to him in the car. "How old are you?"

"Two hundred and twenty," he said as if that wasn't a big deal, and then added, "I didn't mean to shock you."

"Deputy Lowery filled me in on how long shifters live," Milo admitted. "That surprised me, as did learning that he's a lion shifter."

Colt seemed lost in his head as they took the path to the right when they came to a fork. "Not everyone is blessed with a good mother, but I'm glad to know you had a happy childhood," he said, though he wasn't looking at Milo. "My father died when I was a small pup. I don't even remember him. I was raised by a single parent, too."

He stopped, which made Colt stop. His mate glanced down at him as Milo said, "I remember you telling me she was a heartless bitch."

Looking around, Colt led them to a fallen tree, where they sat. "Even that's too nice for what she really was." He examined their entwined fingers. "I was raised with Kellen and my cousin. For some reason I'll never understand, my mom hated Jared. Not that she was loving toward me or Kellen, but she took her anger out on my cousin the most."

Laying his hand over their joined ones, Milo asked, "Did she hurt him?"

Colt glanced away, swallowing roughly. "She hurt all of us. I'll spare you the details, but it went on for a century and a half."

Milo couldn't imagine his mom raising a hand to him. There were times when she'd gotten upset with him when he was a kid, but the disappointed look in her eyes was punishment enough for him. "Physically?"

"Every way possible. Physically, verbally, emotionally, mentally," Colt replied. "Then she got inventive."

Milo wasn't sure he wanted to know how inventive she'd gotten with her abuse.

"She forced Kellen to beat me with a leather belt whenever I looked at her the wrong way."

A gasp escaped Milo.

"I don't blame Kellen. He got it twice as bad if he refused to punish me. But I know he still carries the guilt of what he had to do to me." Colt lifted their joined hands and ran his bearded jaw over Milo's knuckles. "When my mom killed Jared, I took off, my head so fucked that I don't remember a good portion of my life for the next twenty or so years."

"I have no idea what to say." Milo was sickened at the thought of the three of them living such a horrific life. He wanted to hug the boy that used to be Colt, protecting him from his mother's wrath.

"There's nothing you can say." Colt's eyes held unshed tears, appearing just as haunted at the wolf inked on Milo's back. "I think I panic so much when you're not with me because I'm terrified you'll realize that you got saddled with someone worthless and decide to cut your losses."

Yanking his hand free, Milo threw his arms around Colt, burying his face in his mate's neck. "I'm not going anywhere, and if you call yourself worthless again, I'll take you to task, Colt. You're worth more than a lot of people I know. You're kind, caring, funny, thoughtful, passionate, and mean the goddamn world to me."

Colt slid his arms around Milo. "You quiet the darkness inside of me, regardless of how I acted earlier. I can't promise I'll be perfect, but I would never hurt you, Milo. I don't ever want you to feel as helpless and afraid as I have."

"My uncle…" Milo whispered as he dried his eyes on the shoulder of his mate's shirt. "Eric is Chris's brother. My mom's house was a rental, and when she died, I had nowhere to go. I asked Eric if I could move in with him, but he has a violent temper."

Eric never left bruises in places anyone could see, so no one knew about Milo's silent suffering. Even if he'd told Deputy Lowery, then what? That dilapidated house was all Milo had.

Colt hugged him tighter. "I don't want you going back there, Milo. Say you'll move in with me. I know I'm a hot mess, but you never have to worry about—"

"Yes," Milo said, cutting him off. "If you're sure that's what you want. We barely know each other, and we'll have to get used to each other's idiosyncrasies."

Colt set Milo aside and cupped his jaw. "I'm positive that's what I want. We'll get used to each other's habits. I look forward to getting to know you inside and out."

Milo couldn't believe he'd just agreed to move in with Colt. It was terrifying and exciting, and his head spun as worry filled him. "What if us living together doesn't work out, Colt? I was completely miserable living with my uncle, but that was better than being homeless."

Milo thought so. The thought of sleeping on the streets was terrifying.

"Kellen would force me to leave before he'll let you walk out the door." Colt pulled Milo onto his lap and circled his arms around him. "Mates are cherished, even when they aren't yours. Why do you think the deputy was ready to beat my ass when it came to you? We protect them, shorty."

"I hardly think your brother would choose me over you," Milo said.

Colt dug into his pocket and pulled out his phone then dialed, putting the call on speaker.

"Milo got the day off," Kellen said when he answered. "I told his boss that he had a stomach bug. She said if he was out more than three days, he'd have to come back with a doctor's excuse."

"Gross," Milo said. "I'd rather you told her I broke my arm or something."

Kellen chuckled. "You can't complain when it worked. Don't sweat it. If need be, Colt and I know a lion shifter doctor who'll write that excuse for you."

"I appreciate what you did for me," Milo replied. "How much did you have to flirt with her?"

Colt arched a brow as he looked at him.

"I just gave her a dazzling smile and told her how nice she looked in her blouse. Now I'll have to avoid the store, so Colt is responsible for grocery shopping." Kellen sighed. "The shit I get myself into."

"Atlas is going to beat your ass," Colt said. "If he doesn't, I will. You know he's been betrayed before, but he put his trust in you for some damn reason."

"Not if I tell him why I did it," Kellen replied. "I would never do anything to break his trust in me, Colt. No one on this earth holds a candle to him."

"I need you to settle something," Colt said, as if ready to change the subject. "If you had to choose, who would you kick out, me or Milo?"

"You," Kellen said without hesitation, which surprised Milo. "That was a dumbass question. Mind telling me why I'm putting your ornery ass out? If you hurt Milo's feelings, I'll tell Atlas and set him loose on you. He'll make you wear those shoes for a month straight."

Milo didn't get the joke about the shoes. "He didn't hurt my feelings, Kellen."

Colt grinned. "Milo agreed to move in, but he's nervous. He thinks he'll be homeless if things don't work out between us."

"Not fucking happening," Kellen replied. "First, you need to have a better talk with him about mates. Second, if it did come down to choosing between you two, a mate is always going to win. By the way, welcome to our dysfunctional family, Milo."

"Thank you." Milo smiled, praying it never came down to Kellen having to make a choice. Colt had been through so much for so long that he deserved happiness, and Milo was determined to give that to his mate.

"Talk to you later." Colt hung up. "Feel better?"

"I will as soon as you tell me my portion of the bills. I'm not a freeloader." Milo hoped he could afford it because he desperately wanted to get out of Eric's house.

"One dollar a month." Colt nuzzled his neck. "I know that's steep, but it's not easy keeping up with a mortgage on a house that's paid off."

"I might have to split that into fifty cents a paycheck." Milo breathed in deeply, Colt's lips causing havoc on his body.

"It's pretty secluded around us." Colt nipped Milo's throat. "We could have a little fun without worrying about anyone seeing us." He slid his hand up the front of Milo's shirt and tweaked his right nipple. "I have a travel-sized lube in my front pocket."

Milo could listen to Colt's husky voice all day. "You threw one in your pocket on your way out the door to find me?"

"I'm always prepared." He slid his tongue across Milo's collarbone. "I grabbed it out of the center console just in case you decided to take advantage of me in the woods."

Laughter bubbled up and spilled from Milo's throat. "You're the big, bad wolf in the forest who's trying to get into my basket of goodies."

"Why don't we find a patch of soft grass?" Colt helped Milo to his feet, grabbed his hand, and then looked around. "There's got to be one close by."

Milo had another idea. "Just keep an eye out for any hikers, bears, and howling wolves." He lowered to his knees, unfastened his mate's jeans, and circled his fingers around Colt's cock.

"The only howling wolf will be me," Colt groaned.

When Milo pulled the hard shaft free, his mouth watered at the glistening pre-cum already beading at the slit. He leaned in and swirled his tongue around the swollen head, savoring the musky taste of his mate, his own desire spiking as he sucked Colt deeper into his mouth.

Colt hissed, threading his fingers through Milo's hair as he started to thrust gently. "Fuck, that feels amazing, shorty."

Milo hummed around Colt's cock, his own erection throbbing in his jeans. He slid one hand down to palm himself through the fabric, sighing at the small relief it offered.

Then Milo fished his own cock out, slowly stroking himself. His grip on his own cock tightened as he took Colt deeper, the taste of his mate driving him wild. He loved this, loved being on his knees for Colt, loved the way his mate looked down at him with heavy-lidded eyes.

Pleasure numbed Milo's brain, his thoughts centering around the heavy erection filling his mouth and sliding down his throat with every gentle thrust. His dick was hard, leaking, the ache in his balls growing stronger.

He'd never had sex outside, and the thrill of possibly getting caught only fueled his desire. They were on a path, which meant anyone could walk up on them at any second. Milo never knew he had such an adventurous side to him until now.

"This is so much better than fighting off a bear." Colt thrust faster, hissing as he watched what Milo was doing to him. If Colt only knew how breathtaking he looked standing over Milo, his green eyes filled with raw passion, his body flexing as he took his pleasure from Milo's mouth. He was truly a sight to behold.

"Make me come, sweetheart," Colt groaned. "Squeeze your throat, baby. That's it. Hollow those soft cheeks. Yes. Shit. You got it."

Milo moaned around Colt's cock, sucking harder until his lips met the base of Colt's dick, jerking himself off a little faster.

"Baby, I'm there. Swallow my cum." Colt's teeth clenched as his fingers strangled Milo's hair. He thrust a few more times, his seed pulsing down Milo's throat as he shouted Milo's name. At the same time, Milo's own orgasm pounded through his body.

"Holy fuck," Colt said, his breathing ragged. "That was the hottest blow job I've ever had."

Then he looked down at Milo's hand, and his eyes widened. "I would have done that for you."

Letting Colt's softening cock slip out of his mouth, Milo stood, though his knees ached from being pressed into the ground. "It was hot as fuck getting off while you were in my mouth."

Colt groaned. "The things you say to me, shorty."

Milo smirked as they righted their clothes. "I have to go to my uncle's house to get my things."

"I'd rather buy you a new wardrobe." Colt tucked his T-shirt into his waistband.

As much as Milo appreciated the offer, there were things in his room that were irreplaceable. "I have to go there, Colt. I have some mementoes of my mom's, including a photo album."

"I tell you what, give me a list of the things you want and I'll go by there later to get your stuff." He slid his arm over Milo's shoulders. "I'm not trying to boss you around, because if you recall, that's your job, but I also don't want you anywhere near him again."

It wasn't as if Milo was thrilled about going there. He just wished he knew when Eric would be gone to avoid any confrontation. Right now would have been a good time since Milo had seen Eric at the grocery store, but there was no guarantee he would stay gone from the house long enough for Milo to grab his belongings.

"What if I forget something on the list?" He didn't want any of his mom's things left behind. It was all Milo had left to remember her by. He would be devastated if he lost them.

"If it's in your bedroom, I'll get it," Colt said. "I'll clear the room out just to make sure."

"What if Eric won't let you inside?" Milo watched as a squirrel ran up a tree, staring at them as if it had witnessed the blow job and was judging them.

"I'll get your things," Colt said with a confidence Milo didn't feel. If Eric discovered that Milo was moving out, the bastard could destroy his things while refusing to let Colt into the house.

His stomach twisted into knots. Milo hated confrontation. Even in high school he used to keep a low profile so the guys who picked on the gay kids wouldn't notice him.

All he could do was trust that Colt would get his mom's things for him before Eric threw everything in the trash.