Haven 4: Back Roads by Gabrielle Evans

“Bannon!” The man groaned and rolled again, his chest pressing against Galen’s cheek and making it nearly impossible to suck in air to his lungs. Well, at least he wouldn’t have to worry about deciding if he should let Bannon claim him or not because he was going to end up suffocated in his own bed.
    “Bannon Murphy!” Bending his arm at a less than pleasant angle, Galen managed to get a hand on Bannon’s chest and went straight for one of his dark nipples. Getting the little nub between his finger and thumb, he pinched hard and tugged as much as he could.
    Instead of jerking away like he expected him to, Bannon moaned and rocked his hips, grinding his morning erection against Galen’s stomach. Well, great. He didn’t know why the hell Bannon was so worried about him coming along to find Torren’s brothers. It was obviously more dangerous to sleep next to the man than go marching through a haunted cemetery on a full moon.
    The entire room shook as someone began pounding on his bedroom door. Under other circumstances, he would be pissed at the rudeness, but just then, he welcomed any help he could get. “Come in!”
    Though he tried to shout the words, they came out a little breathless. To his relief, he must have been loud enough, because the door swung open, and Raven stepped inside. He made it no more than two steps before his eyebrows disappeared into his hairline when he got a good look at what was going on.
    “Maybe I should come back.”
    “No!” Galen wiggled and squirmed, still trying to get Bannon off him without any success. “Help me.”
    Not bothering to hide his amusement, Raven rounded the bed to stand next to the mattress on Bannon’s side. “I had a feeling he’d be here. Can you breathe at all?”
    “Barely,” Galen grunted. “Can you just get him off of me?” Raven grabbed Bannon by the shoulders and shook him roughly.
    “Dude, wake up!”
    Bannon grumbled a little, curled farther around Galen, and went still again.
    “Hmm.” Raven cocked his head to the side and studied them for a few seconds before a huge grin spread over his face. “Hang on, Galen.”
    He didn’t know what that meant, or what the hell he was supposed to hang on to, but he dipped his head and waited. Raven bent close to Bannon’s ear, curled his top lip, and snarled so viciously it sent a chill up Galen’s spine.
    Bannon bolted upright like he’d been shot from a rocket launcher, whirled around on the bed, and positioned himself between Galen and Raven. Loud, feral growls spilled from his open mouth, and his fingers curled into claws.
    Not sure of what was about to happen, Galen tried to scramble off the bed to get as far away from the action as possible, but Bannon’s arm darted out behind him, looped around Galen’s shoulders, and pulled him flush with Bannon’s back.
    While Raven should have been cowering in a corner like Galen wanted to do, the vampire just threw his head back and laughed like an idiot. “Stop growling at me, dumbass.” Though he couldn’t see Bannon’s face, he knew the exact moment when Bannon began to calm. His hold on Galen loosed, his muscles relaxed, and his dark hair swished against his shoulders as he shook his head as though casting off the remnants of a bad dream.
    “And a fine hello to you,” he said after a tense moment—well, tense for Galen anyway. “Do ya not know better than to wake a man in such a way?”
    “You were crushing the hell out of your mate, man.” Galen opened his mouth to deny that he was Bannon’s mate but snapped it closed just as quickly. It probably wasn’t the most appropriate time to make that announcement. Plus, doubts niggled at the back of his mind as to the truth of his denial. All the signs pointed in the opposite direction, especially after the scene he’d just witnessed.
    It was obvious to anyone with half a brain that Bannon had been protecting him, putting Galen’s safety above his own. His defensive posture, the way he’d