“Um, is Trey around?” Nando asked when Elijah hurried away with the goat, as if they were racing each other down the hallway.
Being alone with Evan made Nando nervous. He had no clue what to say. The only thing they had in common was their love for animals.
“I think Trey and Ben are enjoying some alone time in Ben’s office.” Evan waved a hand in front of him. “Until dinner is ready, how about a tour?”
Anything to relieve the awkwardness Nando felt. Their first stop was the kitchen, where a short, plump woman with long, graying hair stood at the stove. Delicious aromas filled the room, making Nando’s stomach rumble.
When was the last time he’d had a home-cooked meal? And it smelled amazing, the scent of pasta sauce making his mouth water.
The woman at the stove turned and smiled, and Nando automatically thought of his nana.
“This must be Nando Tate.” She wiped her hands on her apron and crossed the room. Nando held out his hand, but she hugged him, instead. “It’s so nice to meet you.”
Crap. Tears stung Nando’s eyes. She even smelled like his nana used to, which made him miss his grandmother something awful. She had passed away about a decade ago, but the loss still stung to this day.
She’d been the only ray of sunshine in his life, besides his mother. Now all Nando had left, as far as family, was his drunken father who’d never wanted him in the first place.
“Oh, my manners!” She pulled back and smiled. “I’m Rosa, the aunt extraordinaire. If there is anything you need, just ask.”
“She’s the glue that holds all of us together,” Evan said. He kissed her on the cheek. “I’m going to give him a tour of the house until dinner is ready.”
“Half an hour,” Rosa said. “Tell the others no snacking, though I doubt that will ruin their appetites.”
“You know they’ll wolf down anything you cook.” Evan smiled.
Nando felt as if he were an outsider to an inside joke. It was the way the two looked at each other, giving one another a knowing look, before Evan escorted him from the kitchen.
“She seems really nice.”
“You couldn’t ask for better,” Evan said. “She’s a surrogate mother to us all.”
“Are your parents still around?” Nando asked as they climbed the steps to the second floor.
“No.” Evan didn’t elaborate. In fact, a veil fell over his eyes as he led Nando to a den where it seemed the entire house was hanging out. There were at least ten guys in there. Some were chilling in recliners, one stretched out on a sofa, a few sat at a bar, and Nando saw three guys talking on the balcony.
“How many people live here?” He didn’t want to go into the room. Nando wasn’t great with strangers and wanted to hide behind Evan as all eyes turned their way.
“Hey, Doc,” one guy from the bar called out. “Who’s the hottie?”
Nando wished a hole would open up and swallow him. He didn’t like the attention and wished Trey or Elijah was there. Nando didn’t want to be the only short, slim guy in the room.
“This is Nando,” Evan said proudly. Why would he sound that way? Nando was just a dinner guest. He wasn’t anyone important.
Evan started pointing to men, saying their names, but Nando knew he would never remember all of them.
The ones he did recall were Lee, Samson, Rourke, and Alejandro. Everyone else’s names had already been forgotten.
Nando moved closer to Evan, wishing the vet would continue the tour so they could leave the room.
“How about a before-dinner drink?” Rourke asked from behind the bar. “Or we have soda.”
Nando bit his lower lip.
“Oh my god, you guys are intimidating him,” Trey said when he joined them. “Everyone stop staring at him like he’s in a display window.”
Nando was glad when Trey pulled him from the room and down the hallway.
“Slow down.” Nando yanked his hand from Trey’s.
“Sorry about that. You’re a little early, and I thought I would be done fooling around by then.” Trey took him to a lavish bedroom. “Let me take a quick shower. You can chill in here away from those wolves while you wait.”
Why did everyone keep using the word wolf for everything? Nando still felt as if he were on the outside of some joke. “Why does everyone keep mentioning wolves?”
Trey rummaged through a dresser drawer and came away with a pair of boxers.
“Because you’re in a house full of them.”
Nando whipped around and saw Ben walking into the bedroom. The way he looked at Trey, with nothing but pure love in his eyes, made Nando so freaking jealous that he didn’t have someone special in his life.
“Do they act that badly?” Nando asked.
Trey gave a nervous chuckle. “Ben was just kidding. The guys here have their issues, but they’re really nice.”
Nando wasn’t an idiot. Something more was going on, but Ben’s presence kept his lips sealed from asking any more questions.
“Hey, can I steal Nando?” Evan appeared in the doorway.
Fuck, he was so good-looking. The guy could steal him anywhere.
“First, you have to tell me where Shoeshine is.”
“The goat is here?” Trey asked.
“Elijah hijacked him,” Nando said.
“Oh crap.” Ben rolled his eyes. “Good luck getting your goat back. I swear Elijah is trying to collect as many animals as I’ll let him.” Ben headed toward the door. “Let me get Shoeshine before Elijah becomes too attached and refuses to give him back.”
“I’m jumping in the shower. Nando is all yours, Evan.”
Once again Nando was alone with Evan.
“I have another room I want you to see.”
When Evan walked away, Nando followed. He had to. The house was so big that he was certain he would be lost if he tried to navigate it on his own.
“Are you taking me to Elijah?” Nando wasn’t concerned about Shoeshine. Elijah seemed like a sweet person, and Nando doubted any harm would come to the goat.
He stopped in the doorway of an elegant room and looked inside. “Where are we?”
Evan took Nando’s hand and pulled him inside before closing the door behind him. “My bedroom.”
Nando’s heart thundered as his stomach filled with butterflies. “And why are we in your bedroom?”
“For this.” Evan pulled Nando into his arms and kissed him so passionately that Nando was left with no air in his lungs.
* * * *
Kissing Nando was like touching his lips to the sun. Evan forced himself to take a step back before he picked his mate up and carried him to the bed.
“What was that for?” Nando licked his kiss-swollen lips as he stared wide-eyed at Evan.
“Something I’ve been dying to do since we first met.” Evan ran his knuckles over Nando’s blushing cheek. “Sorry. I just couldn’t help myself.”
“I… it’s just that… I wasn’t expecting you to kiss me.” Nando arched a brow as he studied Evan. “What’s your deal? When we first met, you acted arrogant, and now you’re interested in what, sex?”
“I wasn’t arrogant,” Evan argued. “I was trying to be charming. Believe me, my ego isn’t huge. It’s normal, and what I did was called flirting.”