“Hey, those clown guys are creepy.”
Dave bit his lip. His cheeks flushed. “Fine. I’ll meet you at the Brown Derby in an hour and a half. There’s something I need to go get in my room.”
“I can go with you.”
Dave looked guilty for a split second before he smiled. He was a little wild-eyed. “No. That’s okay. I’ve got it covered.”
“Dave,” Ben drawled. He clamped down when Dave tried to pull his hand free. “What are you hiding?”
Dave pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand. “Charlie.”
It was like a punch to the gut. “Charlie.”
Dave nodded. “Yeah. Charlie.”
Ben swallowed. God, it hurt to think his mate was here with another man, but it was his own goddamn fault. He just hoped they hadn’t gotten the chance to do anything more than unpack or he’d have to kill the fucker. “Okay. Charlie.” He blew out a breath and tried to reign in his anger. “Is Charlie back in your hotel room?”
Dave nodded, looking guilty as sin.
“How do you feel about moving into the Towers with me?”
“I paid a crap-load of money for my room.”
“Then let’s move Charlie into the Towers, okay?” Ben gritted out between clenched teeth. His jaw was beginning to hurt. It was all he could do not to mark his mate right then and there. His eyes turned, the colors of the Magic Kingdom changing around him. The reddish clay color of Splash Mountain turned a deep, bright gold. The greenery around it altered subtly, taking on a brownish cast. Skin tones became grayer. Even the bright blue sky took on more of a violet cast as green and red blended in his vision. If he were to try driving down the street right now, he knew all the traffic lights would look yellow to him.
Dave sighed. If he noticed that Ben’s nearly black eyes had lightened to his wolf’s golden brown he didn’t react. “I’m not sure Charlie would want to move.”
Ben growled. He really didn’t give two shakes of a rat’s ass what Charlie wanted. But he knew what he wanted.
Charlie gone.
Chapter Six
“Down, boy.” Dave grabbed his arm and got them moving again before Ben could go all Beast without Beauty. “Um. Why don’t we go back to my room and—”
The growls got louder.
“—not eat my friend for dinner.” Dave winced. Charlie was going to love Ben. The Lion would look at his mate like a giant squeaky toy if he kept this up. But Ben’s golden-brown eyes warned him that Ben’s wolf was close to the surface. “Don’t make me get the leash.”
Ben snorted, whether in disgust or amusement Dave didn’t know. He was going to walk Ben back to the Contemporary and introduce his mate and his friend and pray the two of them didn’t get them all kicked out. Dave was having the time of his life and didn’t need to lose out on his vacation because the two shifters didn’t get along.
Half of him was still convinced this was a dream. Maybe he’d fallen asleep on the plane and only thought he was in Disney. He’d been looking forward to this for so long he wouldn’t be surprised. Having Ben here with him had been a dream for just as long.
“Listen, the way you say Steve has been there for you? Charlie’s been there for me. Don’t give my friend shit, and I promise not to barbeque yours.”
Silence. Not good. If Charlie and Ben got into it, Dave could lose them both. Unless, of course, he was right, and this was all a dream. He had a sure-fire way of proving it one way or another. He just had to get Ben to his room first.
“Steve tried to protect me. He knew what my dad was doing to me.”
Dave froze. “Your dad?”
“That’s the explaining portion of tonight’s entertainment, remember? I explain my childhood, you explain Charlie being in your hotel room, we agree to move you into my room so we can have wild kinky sex to fireworks, the end.”
Dave started walking again. He did his best to ignore the thought of wild, kinky sex, but just thinking the words made his cock hard. Add in the words “Ben and,” and he was practically panting.
They were past Cinderella’s Castle and near Main Street, USA. They’d be out of the park in no time. “Oh! Monorail!” One of the reasons he’d booked the Contemporary was because the Monorail from Magic Kingdom and Epcot went right through the hotel. He’d always thought that was cool, but when he’d heard you could walk to the Magic Kingdom from his hotel he’d decided to do that first. But now he’d get to give the Monorail a try. Ben was calm again, in no danger of shifting. The Monorail would be safe and quick.
Ben laughed. “Yeah, I thought you’d like that.”
Dave pivoted and began walking backward, pointing at Ben with his free hand. “You need to learn to have fun.”
“You need to learn not to invite other men into your room.”
Dave’s jaw dropped. Other men? He began laughing.
Yup. Charlie was gonna love this one.
“It’s not funny, asshole. How would you have felt if I’d brought another man on vacation with me?”
Dave abruptly stopped laughing. “Like you haven’t done that.”
Ben snarled. “No. I haven’t.”
“So you’re what? A virgin?”
“Are you?”
The two men glared at each other.
“Gentlemen, would you mind taking a small survey?” A cheery blonde smiled up at them, some sort of data pad in her hands. An electronic pen was poised over the pad, ready to mark down their answers.
“Yes.” Ben grabbed hold of Dave’s hand and dragged him towards the exit. “Monorail. Contemporary. Killing Charlie. Fucking. In that order.”
Dave’s brows rose. He wondered what Ben’s reaction was going to be when he found out Charlie was—
“Dave, pay attention!”
Dave tripped over the curb, almost going to his knees. Ben managed to get his arms around him and keep him from falling, but the position it put them in brought other things to mind. Dave was bent double, his hands on the circular railing in the center of Main Street, Ben’s crotch pressed tight to his ass. Dave flushed, the feel of Ben’s cock hardening against his ass bringing to mind all sorts of wicked things.
The wolf-whistle had both men straightening. “Nice catch.” A man winked at Ben and waved at Dave. “He’s a big one too.”
The man at his side laughed. “Yeah, no need to lie when you brag to your friends about this one, huh?”
The two men walked off, still laughing. Dave’s cheeks were bright red, Ben’s only a shade lighter.
“Let’s get out of here.”
Ben nodded and walked under the train overpass that marked the beginning of the Magic Kingdom. The two men hopped the Monorail that led directly to the Contemporary, neither saying a word. He had no clue what Ben was thinking, but Dave was worried. Why the change of heart? Did Ben feel sorry for him now that he knew the truth? Was it jealousy, knowing Dave had chosen to come here during Gay Pride Week?
Did he know of Dave’s plans to find a second mate?
The Monorail came to a stop, and the two men left. They rode the escalator to the fourth floor where they caught the elevator to Dave’s room. Dave’s heart was pounding, his nerves shattered. The moment of truth was almost upon him. He only hoped Ben’s sense of humor would get them through this.
“Calm down, baby. If it means that much to you I promise to only take a small chunk of Charlie’s hide.”
He turned his head and looked down at the Marshall. The man was only a few inches shorter than he was, but it made Dave feel protective, something he knew he didn’t need to feel. If anyone could take care of himself it was Ben Malone.
“How do you feel about Lions?”
Ben blinked. He stared straight ahead. He ignored the other people in the elevator. “We’re going on the safari ride?”
Dave almost laughed. “Something like that.” The elevator doors dinged and let them out on Dave’s floor. It was two floors above the bridge that led to the Bay Lake Towers. “We’re here.”