7. Danny
Chapter 7
Danny
I stared at Riley in horror.
Then, just for good measure, I stared at him some more.
His smile began to fade. "Danny?"
"I'm sorry—" My voice came out on a growl. Fuck's sake . I pushed my wolf down and tried again. "I'm sorry, can you repeat that?"
Riley flopped back in his seat dramatically. "I should've known you'd overreact."
"Overreact?" I had to get to my feet, moving so as to keep my wolf appeased. "Ry, you've just told me you're going to invite complete strangers in to have sex with you. How the fuck am I supposed to react?"
Riley glared up at me. "So?"
"So? So? " My voice was so loud that the windows rattled. I took several deep breaths and counted backwards from ten until I'd calmed down. "So, it's dangerous, Riley. Dangerous, irresponsible, and just fucking asking for trouble. You won't know anything about these men. What if they hurt you? Or do something you don't like?"
Riley got to his own feet, his chest puffed out. "You could say the same about any of the men we hook up with after dates. Any of them could hurt me. Fuck, I could be with a man for six months and he could turn out to be an axe murderer. What's the difference, Danny?"
"The difference is that usually I'm here if something goes wrong," I yelled back, unable to believe Riley was being this fucking stupid. "If you need me, I'm right there. No one can hurt you because they'd have to go through me first."
Riley gave me a triumphant grin and I knew I'd walked into a trap. "Exactly. That's why you're going to be here too."
You could almost smell the burning from where my brain screeched to a halt. "I'm…what?"
"Not in the room, of course." Riley waved his hand as though it were obvious. "But close by. That way, if anything does go wrong, you'll be on hand. You'll be happy because you're keeping me safe, and I'll be happy because I'm getting off. See? Everyone wins."
I shoved my hands into my hair. "So, I'm supposed to just wait in the living room while you get fucked?"
Riley shrugged. "Basically, yeah. Or you could arrange a hookup for yourself at the same time."
"You're insane."
"Am I?" Riley tilted his head curiously. "How is this different to what we usually do?"
"It's completely different."
"No." Riley stepped closer, drilling his finger into my chest. "I'm meeting them on an app, just like we do now. I'll be telling them it's one night only, same again. And I'll be getting laid while you're nearby. Just. Like. We. Do. Now. The only thing that's different is that I won't be sharing a meal with the man first."
I opened my mouth to argue with him, but realised I couldn't. He was right, it was the same…even if it didn't feel that way. Somehow, the knowledge that Riley was going to be offering himself up to strangers was right up there with him finding a relationship.
My wolf didn't like it, and neither did I.
"Is this a kink thing?" I tried approaching it a different way, thinking of the kink club that had opened recently just down the road from Mori's club. "Because if so, that's fine. We can go to The Window. They cater for everything you can think of. I'm sure Toby can put us in touch with one of the owners and?—"
Riley cut me off. "It's not about kink. I'm not getting anything out of the idea that it's anonymous. Actually, that's the whole point. I'm not going to be getting anything out of the experience except an orgasm, and that's really all I care about."
"Is this really the best option?" I said weakly. "Surely we can?—"
"No," Riley cut me off calmly. "I've thought this through, Danny. A lot. It's the option that's going to make me happy, therefore it's the one I'm going with. You can either be here, or not. That's up to you. Believe it or not, I did have a healthy sex life without being in danger before you came along, and I'm confident I can have one without you being involved now."
"But—"
"Danny." I knew that tone. That was the one that meant I was one word away from Riley losing his shit entirely. "Leave it. It's happening whether you're on board or not."
He tossed one of the controllers my way and turned the TV on. His message couldn't have been clearer. The subject was closed.
I was silent as we started to game, but my mind was anything but.
Riley might have considered it closed, but I certainly fucking didn't. I was going to find a way to talk him out of this, one way or another.
W ant to know how well that went?
It was two weeks later, and Riley had his first ‘hookup' due at his place in ten minutes.
Not fucking well. That's the answer.
I'd tried every weapon in my arsenal to get Riley to change his mind. I'd pleaded with him, yelled at him, asked him to explain his reasoning again, and even threatened to get Matty involved. Nothing, absolutely nothing , would sway him. Every time, he'd just sigh before telling me "It's no different to any other hookup, Danny. I don't understand why you're getting so worked up about this."
Neither did I. In a way, Riley was right. There was little difference between this and him taking a guy back after a date. But it was that little piece of difference that mattered. I didn't know why, I couldn't rationalise it even to myself, but Riley doing this felt…wrong.
If he'd been doing it as part of a kink, that I could understand. I still wouldn't have been happy about it, but I wouldn't stop him. This wasn't that though. This was him taking his commitment issues to a whole new level. A scarily unhealthy level.
Just when I thought no one would take my fuckboi crown, along came Riley and shoved me off the throne.
There was just something about it that aggravated me. I knew the types of men who would be using apps like these.
They weren't the kinds of men I wanted within a hundred miles of my Riley. And my wolf? He'd be happier with two hundred miles.
Still, Riley wasn't to be dissuaded. He'd merrily gone off to shower and prep himself half an hour ago, leaving me to prowl around his living room. My skin was rippling over my bones as they cracked and tried to reform. This happened sometimes when my feelings were too close to the surface. My wolf tried to take over, tried to force the shift upon me.
It never worked. My control of my wolf was legendary. Only once since puberty had my wolf won the power struggle between us. Only once had I lost control of my baser being and allowed my wolf to lead.
An occasion that I recognised every year in a cabin with a bottle of Adamanthea.
What was happening now wasn't even in the same realm as what I'd gone through that day, so I wasn't concerned about my control slipping. Still, it was unsettling to have my wolf testing my limits so…consistently. Ever since the day Riley had told us this fucking moronic plan, I'd been more aware of my wolf than I had in decades. Don't get me wrong, my wolf was always there.
But he wasn't usually this…insistent.
"You staying?"
Riley's voice floated down the stairs. I ground my teeth together. Was he mad? Of course I was fucking staying. "Yes."
"Sure you don't want to try and get your own hookup here? Hot firefighter like you would be snapped up on this app in no time."
"No," I barked back, resuming my pacing. Maybe it was because of this whole bonkers situation, but I'd never felt less like having sex with a stranger in my life. "You just say my name and I'll be up there to help you like a shot."
"Calm down hun, it's going to be fine. If you're going to stay then can you let him in? That way I don't even have to look at him."
The bones in my fingers elongated, cracking menacingly. "You're not even going to look at him? What if he's fuck ugly?"
Riley's cheeky grin appeared over the banister. "Doesn't matter so long as he's got a working cock. I'll never know either way—that's the beauty of this thing. It could be literally anyone, but it won't matter. I'll be getting an orgasm and I won't ever know who's giving it to me. No chance of attachment at all."
"So, you just want me to send this stranger upstairs? And, what, you'll be face down, arse up? Ready for him to fuck and run?"
Riley shivered before winking at me. "Stop, you're making me all excited. Yes, send him straight up. I've already told him I don't want any talking or foreplay. Just for him to stick it in and get on with it."
"How romantic."
Riley flicked his middle finger up. "It's not supposed to be romantic, twatface. That's the whole fucking point of this."
He vanished from sight, humming a happy tune. I blew out a breath and resumed pacing. I'd have worn a path in his carpet before the end of the night.
I couldn't believe he was going to go through with this. I'd listened to him be fucked by a stranger more times than I could count, but tonight the thought of doing it made me want to shift and start running. To not stop until my legs collapsed beneath me.
There was nothing keeping me from doing that. Riley had told me time and time again that I didn't need to be here. To be honest, anyone else would think it fucking weird that I was here.
But I wasn't risking Riley. Yes, I was being overprotective and ridiculous, but I'd rather that than the alternative. A few years ago, I'd been tasked with watching over Matty for a few days. On my watch, he was kidnapped and attacked by shifters from my former clan.
They'd mistakenly believed that my attention towards him meant he was my mate. They'd thought that by kidnapping him, they could kill me and take my powers for themselves. There was only ever one alpha per pack, and that power wasn't transferred until death. If another wolf challenged me and managed to kill me, they'd become the new alpha.
If I could have handed that power over without my death, I would've done it a long fucking time ago. Seeing as I quite enjoyed being alive, that wasn't an option for me.
Unfortunately for the morons who'd kidnapped Matty, I wasn't his mate…Sebastian was. Well, he wasn't at the time, but it had been clear to just about fucking everyone that it was heading that way.
I could've killed them all myself regardless, but with Sebastian there?
That wasn't necessary.
Matty had recovered fast, but the guilt still lived in me. I'd failed him. He'd been mine to protect temporarily, and he'd ended up hurt.
That incident had burned me in a way the fires I ran into never did. It had reminded me that, despite my best efforts, I had people who were important to me. Ones who weren't supernatural. Ones who were easy to kill.
Most of them were now mated to supes, giving them a much better chance of survival in this fucked-up world. All except Riley.
I'd have loved to say that was why my protectiveness over him hovered in the unhealthy range, but deep down I knew it wasn't just that.
Riley was my person. My best friend. He was human. One day, he'd be taken from me—there was nothing I could do to stop that happening.
All I could do was try to keep him safe until then. To make the most of every minute possible.
A knock on the door pulled me from my dark thoughts. My knees cracked as I left the living room and yanked open the door.
A mousy man stood on the doorstep, his eyes darting in every direction. Sweat dotted his brow and he was shifting on his feet nervously. My instincts prickled at the back of my neck. I didn't like this man. "Are you Riley?"
"No," I said curtly. I knew I was supposed to stand back and let this man go upstairs, but I couldn't get my feet to move.
"Oh, shame." He leered up at me. "Maybe I can give you a go as round two. See which of you I can make scream louder."
Did he honestly think that was attractive? I was sure I must have said something like that in the past, but hopefully it hadn't come across as creepy as this guy.
"Are you going to let me in?" he said impatiently. "Or is this one of those cocktease situations? This fucking app, I tell you. Such a waste of time."
He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed at his head. Light glinted off his finger, making me stiffen. "What's that?"
The fucker frowned. "What's what?"
I grabbed his wrist in a none-too-gentle grip. He gave a small yelp as I twisted it back up in front of his face. "This. This is a fucking wedding ring. You're married ?"
"And?" He tried to yank his arm away, but he had no chance against me. "Let me go, man. This has got fuck all to do with you."
"It does when it's my best friend you're using to cheat," I hissed, dropping his arm in disgust. "What kind of man does that?"
"Please." He rolled his eyes. "Everyone on this app is either married or closeted. That's the whole point of it. Your friend must know that—he's on there too. Now, move out of my way."
He tried to shove past me, but I barely even registered the movement. There was no way he was getting in now. Grabbing him by the throat, I called up my powers. I never compelled unless it was to cover up supe stuff, but my control was slipping. "You're going to go home and never cheat on your partner again. You're going to be the best husband possible, and cater to every one of their whims. Your purpose in life is to do whatever makes them happy. If they decide what makes them happy is ending your marriage, then you're to walk away and never bother them again."
His gaze turned cloudy as the tendrils of my powers settled into his subconscious, making their home there.
I released him, glaring as he stood there woodenly. "Go home now. Buy them flowers on the way. Fuck knows they need it for putting up with you."
I didn't feel a shred of guilt for compelling him, all I felt was pity for whatever sap was tied to him.
The reality of the situation didn't hit me until I'd closed the door after him. Riley was upstairs and waiting. Should I go up there and tell him what had happened? He'd be mad that I'd interfered, but I knew he wouldn't want to sleep with someone who was married.
I knew Riley though. He'd change his profile, trying his best to ensure he wasn't an accessory to cheating, and we'd be going through all of this again in a few days. Realistically, there was no way for him to weed out the twats. Even on a normal dating app you couldn't guarantee that.
I covered my face with my hands and groaned. I'd known this was a bad idea, but fuck me, this was even worse than I'd thought. What the fuck could I do though? Riley wanted it to be anonymous. He didn't want to know who was fucking him, just that someone was. He'd consented to having sex with a stranger. He didn't want to know who it was. That was the whole point.
An idea started to tickle at the back of my mind. A dangerous idea. A stupid one. One I should not have been considering.
No. Absolutely fucking not.
It was a terrible idea.
My foot hit the bottom step.
A really fucking stupid idea.
I was halfway up the stairs.
But really, was it that stupid? Riley would never know. He'd be getting what he wanted, and I'd be protecting him.
My hand was on the door handle.
This will only end badly.
I inhaled a shuddering breath, my wolf curling up inside me, utterly content.
Maybe it would. Maybe I'd look back on this one day and list it as my biggest regret.
I opened the door and stepped inside.