The week passed quietly. Jak stayed away from the station, and Reaux didn't bring up Dante after mentioning Jak should think about apologizing. Tay returned, and Damian told him what had happened. The Alpha had wanted vengeance, but Reaux and Damian had nipped that in the bud. So life had gone back to somewhat normal.
Jak left his advisor's office with critiques in his paper. Everything was good except some grammar and other random wording. Once those were fixed, he could submit it and work on his presentation. He and Karl couldn't work together because it was supposed to be a debate so he was basically alone.
There was a message from Reaux. He had a new case and would probably be late for dinner. He didn't want Jak to wait up to him. That left Jak with nothing to do. Tay was in Hong Kong again and Damian had already left for Anchorage. No one was around for him to hang out with now that he was done with classes.
He walked down the stairs, avoiding as many people as possible. Somewhere down the hall an Omega went into heat. The smell was intoxicating, and several Alphas went in search of the poor person.
If that had been Jak three years ago, he probably would have been vying for a female's attention. Now he didn't feel the urge to seek the person out. In fact, his hormones urged him to find Reaux. Even though he was still upset with his Alpha, it didn't stop his body from craving him.
He greeted several undergrads as he went out the building's front door. Despite being claimed, he was still fairly popular. He'd even turned down one of the better looking females. Though she was highly attractive, his libido didn't fire up when he looked at her. They were still on good terms, and she called him if she needed anything.
Even though he was barely speaking to him right now, Jak was grateful to Reaux. Because he'd accidentally claimed him that night almost two years ago, he had stopped a lot of Jak's vices. He still loved to drink and party, but he didn't sleep around anymore. His entire world and sex life revolves around one annoying detective.
The last person he'd tried to hook up with had been the previous undergrad's cousin. They'd met in a bar; he'd been twenty-one and she was eighteen. They'd gotten drunk and had gone back to his place. It had been several months after Jak had woken up at Reaux's, and he'd wanted to erase everything. Up until that point he'd done well, but after meeting up with Reaux for lunch, his mind had been fucked up.
They had been naked and had been getting ready to do the deed. But Jak never got hard. No matter what he'd done, the marching orders never stood at attention. He'd been embarrassed and a little annoyed. She'd been the one person he'd actively pursued for months, and now when he had her, nothing.
She hadn't made fun of him. I'm face, she had urged him to talk to the one he's claimed. If he kept sleeping around without regularly seeing his mate, he would get irritable and cranky. Jak hadn't told her he'd been the one claimed, but he had been grateful for her advice. He'd gone to see Reaux the next night and has never left.
Reaux had indulged him, probably a little too much. Whatever Jak wanted he pretty well got, but he'd also made some concessions too. Reaux was pretty curious and inventive with their sex life. He liked things Jak never would have thought he'd do. He allowed Reaux to tie him up, tease him, borderline torture him, and alienate his senses. As long as he didn't strike him, he would allow the detective to do pretty much anything.
And Jak liked most of it. It was erotic and always led to a great night. Especially after a party. At last year's banquet, Reaux had inserted vibrating eggs in Jak before they'd left and had kept the remotes in his pocket. Every so often he'd turn the speed up. Jak's entire body had nearly given out on him by the time he'd gotten them into a private bathroom. Without pulling them out, Reaux had taken him in the sink. He'd tortured him the rest of the party after that. They'd spent the rest of the night dirtying a hotel room's sheets.
Until a week ago, Reaux had never really gone against Jak. Not until Dante Rodriguez showed up to shadow him. After that, his quiet life had become rocky. It wasn't that Jak didn't like the underclass man. He didn't know what his intentions were with Reaux. That made him uneasy and volatile.
As if summoning the devil himself, Dante was right in front of Jak when he walked down the steps. He nearly slammed into him because he wasn't paying attention to where he was going. Luckily, Dante stopped him before they ended up in the hospital.
Jak looked up at him, scowling slightly. He took a step back and tried to get away, but Dante fell into step with him. He tried to ignore him, but his hulking presence was annoying. He wasn't as imposing as Tay or Reaux. He didn't have that intense quality or air about him. But his presence annoyed Jak since he wasn't sure about him yet.
He stopped at the crosswalk. Dante hadn't left his side since the psychology building. Now Jak was pissed, and all that energy buzzed on his skin.
"Why are you following me?" he demanded.
Dante stopped by the sidewalk even though the light had changed. "I wanted to apologize for both the precinct and your house. I seriously thought Reaux had told you I was coming. I didn't find out until that afternoon that Captain Cooper didn't tell him."
Jak crossed his arms. "And Damian? Have you apologized to him?"
The younger guy shook his head. "No one would give me any contact info. Reaux said his Alpha would kill me."
"He's right. Tay doesn't play well with anyone who hurts Damian. Frankly, I don't either. He's been through enough that all we want to do is cocoon him."
"I'm sorry, Jak. I didn't mean to cause trouble."
Jak sighed and scratched his head. "That's not all is it?"
Dante looked sheepish as he laughed. "Dr. Reynolds said you had the best notes from her class. I was wondering if I could borrow them until after finals."
The older Alpha sighed. "I'll just give you everything I have. After this semester, I won't need them anymore. What are you struggling with?"
Dante prattled on about everything he was missing. It wasn't just Dr. Reynolds' class, but doctors Evans, Ratnor, and Connir's as well. They were the basic classes that every criminal justice graduate student had to pass. If he was failing now, he would never make it.
If Jak thought the man was annoying now, he would definitely see it if he didn't give him all his materials. He'd also hear about it from the professors he had painstakingly cultivated a relationship with. He didn't make friends easily so he didn't want to ruin what he had.
He held up his hand before Dante could get started again. The undergrad closed his mouth and waited.
"I can't get them to you tonight," Jak objected. "What's your schedule tomorrow?"
"I'm working on a paper in the library," Dante replied.
"Great. I'll meet you there at about three and go over everything. You won't have a hard time if you just study those."
Dante's smile was bright as relief flooded through him. "Thanks, Jak. You're a lifesaver."
Jak took it in stride, waving off his gratitude. "Don't. I'm still not happy with you." He glanced at his watch. "I have to go. Tomorrow at three!"
The other graduate student watched the other man run across the street, barely making the crosswalk timer. Jak was someone Dante had looked up to since their undergraduate days. He had always been with Tay and Damian, and that made him unapproachable. Now, without the two always around, Dante had figured it'd be a good time to get close to him.
The only hitch in his plan had been the detective. He'd had no idea Jak and Reaux were involved until the day he'd gone to the station. Once they'd been in the same room, he could clearly smell their bond. Jak smelled like Reaux, and Reaux smelled like Jak. It was undeniable.
But Dante wasn't the type to back down from a challenge. He'd done a lot of research into Jak in the last week. He knew just everything about his past partners. The only thing that eluded him was how he became bonded to Reaux… and how he was going to break it. As far as he knew, death was the only way to break a bond. If anyone could figure out another way, it was Dante.
He laughed to himself. He'd been patient up until this point. Only a momentary lapse in judgement had nearly cost him. Damian was the only person Jak wouldn't ask questions about. He'd fight instantly. Now that Dante had apologized about that instance he was back on track.
His phone rang. He glanced at the screen before answering jovially.
"Hey! Yeah, I'm on my way. I had an errand to run."
Dante hung up and cast one last look at the parking lot. If he played his cards right, he just might get what he wanted. He just had to wait a little while longer.
He turned on his heel and went to meet the person on the phone. He would have a full plan by then.