by Shea Balik
The next thing he knew he was pinned against a wall and Kai was in front him. The man’s mouth descended, capturing his, even as Kai’s large hand opened Bodhi’s pants. When Kai’s calloused hand wrapped around his prick, Bodhi ripped his mouth from Kai’s. “Fuck.” He had no idea if anyone could hear his shout, but there was no way Bodhi could keep it inside, not when it felt that good.
Bodhi’s hips bucked when the man gave him a couple of strokes. His head clunked against the boards of the wall behind him as jolts of electricity passed through him. His balls drew up painfully tight to his body, emptying their contents through his cock and into Kai’s hand.
Boneless, he sagged against the wall, depending on Kai to hold him up, as his feet still weren’t touching the ground. In the back of his mind, he knew he should repay the favor, but his brain just wasn’t working enough to move. He felt as if he were floating on a cloud high above, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to come back down.
Chapter 4
There had never been a more erotic, beautiful sight than his gorgeous butterfly falling apart in Kai’s arms. It didn’t hurt his ego how quickly Bodhi came either. He had barely started stroking the man off when he just exploded with his head thrown back, his mouth partly open, and pupils blown wide, nearly obscuring his lavender-shaded eyes.
Between watching the man fall apart and the scent of Bodhi’s release, Kai didn’t stand a chance. He came, hard. That he hadn’t even touched his cock hadn’t gone unnoticed by him, but he didn’t care.
Kai had prayed he’d find his mate, but he’d never in a million years thought he’d find one as absolutely perfect as Bodhi. He couldn’t explain it, but small men flipped every one of his switches.
There was just something about being able to hold his mate in his arms, cuddle with him, and cherish him like he deserved that made Kai feel complete. He couldn’t wait to claim the man and move him into the Alpha Manor.
“Damn, that was good.” Bodhi’s praise stroked his ego a bit. The man’s gaze was still a little dazed as he looked at Kai with a smile. “Do you want me to suck you off?”
Lust slammed into Kai like a sledgehammer once more at the thought of those sweet pink lips wrapped around his cock. It nearly derailed his original thought to take his mate home and claim him, but the thought of burying himself deep within Bodhi’s ass stopped him from agreeing to the blow job. “As good as that sounds, I was hoping we could go back to the Alpha Manor instead.”
“I would love…Wait.” Bodhi’s head clunked back against the wall. “I can’t, at least not now. I’m here with my family, and I promised my parents I’d help them with the kids. I’m supposed to be getting them popcorn right now.”
Kai couldn’t deny to being a little disappointed, but he understood, sort of. Except…they were mates. Wasn’t that supposed to trump everything else? Still, he couldn’t expect Bodhi to go back on his promise to help his parents.
Actually, Kai admired the man for helping his parents. Kai was very close to his parents, and if he’d promised to do something for them, he had to admit he’d do it, even if he’d just met his mate. “Why don’t I go with you?” He gave his mate a wink. “I should have enough pull to get us a few bags of popcorn.”
The smile he received momentarily stunned him. How he’d gotten so lucky to have such a beautiful mate, Kai didn’t know, but he would have to remember to thank the Gods next time they came around.
“Um, maybe you could let me down so we can get going?”
Still befuddled by the man’s smile, it took him a moment to comprehend Bodhi’s words. “Oh, sure.” Except he didn’t really want to let his mate go. It felt good having Bodhi in his arms.
Once Bodhi was standing, Kai stepped back, instantly missing the warm weight of his mate’s body in his embrace. “Ready, little butterfly?”
A frown marred Bodhi’s face. “Sure.”
“What’s wrong?” He didn’t like seeing his mate frown. It didn’t look right. As far as Kai was concerned, Bodhi should always smile. He knew that wasn’t realistic, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t try to make it happen.
Those lavender eyes met his. “I would appreciate it if you didn’t call me that.”
The request was like a kick to the balls. “May I ask why?” Kai would hate not being able to use the nickname. He really liked it, and it fit Bodhi perfectly. His grace and beauty reminded him of the colorful creature.
Twin dots of red appeared on his mate’s cheeks. “Yeah, I’ll tell you why. I get I’m small, but it doesn’t make me fragile like a butterfly, and I don’t appreciate you pointing out my faults.”
Shocked by the hurt and fury in Bodhi’s voice, Kai stood there staring at his mate, unsure what to say. Apparently that wasn’t what Bodhi had wanted, for the man opened the door in a huff.
Before storming out, he threw over his shoulder, “Stay the hell away from me. I don’t want to be around someone who thinks so little of me.”
By the time Kai realized what had happened and rushed to the door of the small storage closet they had been using, Bodhi was long gone, swallowed by the immense crowd. A part of him warred to go after his mate, but another part wasn’t sure if he should. It might be better to let the man cool down first.
Kai just wished he knew what he’d done wrong. Just that morning he’d thought Evan was crazy for walking away from his mate, but Kai wondered if his friend had the right idea.
“Hey, Kai. Was that Bodhi?” Paytah walked up with his mate, Aidan, holding hands. That twinge of jealously he normally felt when seeing one of the mated pairs together wasn’t there. He could feel a huge smile form on his face as he realized he’d found his mate.
Nothing else mattered as far as he was concerned, even a misunderstanding. Thoughts of not going after Bodhi were no longer a possibility. He would follow his mate to the ends of the earth and back if needed, but he would find his happily ever after.
Before he went after his little butterfly, he might as well find out a few things about the man first. Forcing his gaze from where he last saw Bodhi, Kai turned to Paytah. “How well do you know Bodhi?”
Turning toward Paytah might have been a mistake. His friend’s eyes widened before a shit-eating grin appeared on his lips. “Apparently not as well as you.” The man’s gaze zeroed in on Kai’s groin. “Didn’t realize you didn’t have the stamina to at least get your dick out of your pants,” Paytah teased.
Kai would have probably been embarrassed at his friend’s implication of his lack of restraint, but Bodhi was his mate. He wasn’t supposed to have control. He found himself giving Paytah another huge smile. “Bodhi is my mate.”
Both men congratulated him with slaps on the back. “Bodhi is a really great guy. I’m glad you found him.”
Paytah’s comment reminded him his friend hadn’t told him how he knew Bodhi. “So how do you know him?”
“He’s the one painting the murals on the Amphitheatre.”
Even though Etzel owned the Amphitheatre, it was Gibson who was paying for the murals, wanting to liven the place up. The Alpha mate often came down to the Amphitheatre to check on the progress of the painter. Since Gibson usually combined the trip by visiting some of those affected by the bombs that had devastated so much of Juarez, Aidan, their resident psychiatrist, usually went along to offer help where he could. Where Aidan went, Paytah went, which would explain how his friend knew Bodhi.
“Actually his newest mural makes a lot of sense now,” Aidan said.
Paytah’s eyes got really big, swinging first to Aidan, then back to Kai. “Oh my Gods. You’re right. If Bodhi wasn’t too old to be one of the missing, he might be one of…” His friend caught himself before spilling the secret in a crowd of people. The man waved his hand in front of his body. “Well, you get my meaning.”
He did, but at the same time, Kai didn’t. “What’s the mural of?” When they arrived this morning to set up, Gibson had Kai pull into the back of the Amphitheatre, so he didn’t get to see the front,
where the mural was being worked on.
Paytah flashed his perfect white teeth. “You’ll have to see it for yourself.”
Irritated they wouldn’t just tell him, Kai decided it was time to go after his mate. He’d given the man plenty of time to cool down. “I need to go find Bodhi before he decides to leave.”
“Um.” Paytah once more pointedly looked at Kai’s groin. “Like that? Shouldn’t you change first?”
His friend had a point, but Kai didn’t want to take any chances of Bodhi leaving. Sure, he knew he could find his mate the next day while the man worked on the mural, but Kai didn’t want to wait that long.
“Seriously, Bodhi is probably with his family, and I don’t think you want to meet his parents or the kids with cum in your pants.”
He hated that Paytah was right. He needed to change. But something inside of him told Kai to go find his mate. Meeting Paytah’s gaze he asked, “Will you please go find Bodhi and keep an eye on him until I get back?” Kai hated asking someone else to watch over his mate, but there wasn’t anything else he could do.
He could tell Paytah was going to give him some smart-ass answer, but Aidan saved him from having to hear it. “We’d be happy to, wouldn’t we, beautiful?”
Right before his eyes, Paytah’s smirk melted off his face into a beaming smile full of love as he looked at his mate adoringly. “Anything for you, buttercup.”
Kai shook his head at Paytah’s odd endearment. “Thanks, guys.” Leaving them to find Bodhi, Kai took off, hoping to get back quickly. He was just glad he’d thought to stash a change of clothes in the van.
Chapter 5
It didn’t take Bodhi more than a few moments to realize his mistake, just long enough to get into the popcorn line. Kai hadn’t deserved the tongue-lashing he’d gotten. Years of pent-up frustration at the bullying he’d received had caused Bodhi to strike out without thought.
He should probably go apologize, but he needed to get the promised popcorn and get back to his parents. As great as his foster siblings were, ten were handful on a good day, at home, where they were fairly confined. Out here in the open, with all the excitement of the movies, the singing, and the dancing, and there could easily be trouble.
Plus Bodhi wasn’t sure he wanted to see Kai again. The moment he met the man, Bodhi had made a fool of himself. His storming out after chastising the guy for something Kai hadn’t really done wrong was just the cherry on top of his fucked-up sundae.
It was better if they just went their separate ways. So why did it feel like his heart was being ripped out of his chest at the thought? With each minute he stayed in line instead of searching for Kai, the more Bodhi wanted to cry. It was insane, yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was walking away from his other half, which just didn’t make any sense. He didn’t even know Kai. How could he feel this way?
“Looking for me?”
Bodhi visibly cringed as he heard his ex-boyfriend’s voice. Grissom hadn’t quite gotten it through his meathead of a brain that they weren’t together any longer.
“If I was on fire and you were the only one with water, I still wouldn’t look for you, Grissom. Now leave me alone.” He was done playing nice. The man was bordering on stalking at this point, and Bodhi had had enough.
The man’s brown eyes flashed with rage before one meaty hand struck out to wrap around Bodhi’s upper arm. In the next instant, Bodhi found himself pulled up against Grissom’s body, the man’s face inches from his own.
“How many times do I have to tell you not to talk to me like that?” Grissom shook him like a rag doll—did Bodhi mention how much he hated being small? “Now say you’re sorry before I have to punish you.”
Fear filled Bodhi at the mention of one of Grissom’s punishments. The last “punishment” left him unconscious. It was why he’d broken up with the guy. Bodhi hated bullies. Too bad he hadn’t realized Grissom was one until it had been too late.
As much as he didn’t want to be hit again, Bodhi wasn’t about to apologize for telling the truth. “Let me go, Grissom. I told you we aren’t dating any longer.”
The man’s fingers dug into his arm harder, most likely leaving bruises behind. “And I told you, I decide when we’re through.”
“Then I suggest you decide that right now.” Paytah, hand in hand with his mate, walked right up to where they stood.
“Piss off. This is between me and my boyfriend.”
Bodhi had come to realize Grissom wasn’t the sharpest crayon in the box while they’d been dating, but even he had no idea the man was this stupid. Paytah wasn’t someone to be trifled with. Sure, he looked innocent enough, and his shorter—although not as short as Bodhi’s—stature fooled people into believing he couldn’t hurt a fly, but they’d be wrong.
Bodhi tried to jerk his arm away from Grissom’s tight hold, but that only resulted in the man’s fingers digging in deeper. Pissed at being manhandled, and feeling a little braver with Paytah standing right next to him, Bodhi said through clenched teeth, “I told you, you piece of shit. We. Are. Not. Dating.” He made sure to punctuate each word just so he was clear.
“Get your hands off him.” Paytah’s voice was ice-cold. He’d dropped Aidan’s hand and nudged his mate a step behind him, protecting him from Grissom striking out.
Grissom didn’t seem to understand the danger he was in at the moment. “I said, piss off. This has nothing to do with you.”
A smile that would have sent fear straight to his soul if it were directed at Bodhi formed on Paytah’s face. “That’s where you’re wrong. Bodhi is family, and even if he wasn’t, I wouldn’t let some jackass manhandle him when he asked you to leave him the hell alone.”
“Is that jerk really dumb enough to take Paytah on?” a voice whispered on his other side.
Bodhi looked over his shoulder to see Anemone’s big green eyes wide as saucers. Hunter had his arm around his mate, making sure Anemone was tucked securely against his side and away from any violence. Bodhi had met the man only a few times, when he’d accompanied his mate, Hunter, to the Amphitheatre while Bodhi was painting his murals. He really liked Anemone, but this wasn’t the place for the obviously fragile man.
“Yeah, he really is that dumb. You might want to step back before Paytah decides to teach him just how wrong he is.”
The hand that was digging into his arm yanked Bodhi even closer.
“Did I say you could speak, maggot?” Grissom’s eyes had a crazed looked that, frankly, was starting to scare Bodhi.
With Paytah and Hunter here, Bodhi knew he was relatively safe, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t get hit before all this was over. But before he could even blink, the hand cruelly digging into his flesh was gone, and Grissom was on the ground, staring up to the sky, confused.
All the while Paytah looked down at the man, appearing to be completely bored. “Next time you decide you want to be a bully, pick on someone your own size.”
But Grissom was a bull shifter, and Paytah basically had just waved a red flag in front of the man. Grissom jumped up with his fist clenched. “Someone like you?”
It seemed odd, but even with Paytah being several inches shorter than Grissom, it was clear the bull shifter was no match for Paytah. Having been bullied as a child, Paytah had learned how to fight, honing his abilities with years in the military. Bodhi was pretty sure there weren’t many people in the world who could beat the Fire Mystic.
The scent of burning rubber assailed Bodhi’s nose. Looking down, he started laughing to see Grissom’s big combat boots were melting as fire licked around the surface. Apparently Paytah had no trouble using his fire ability to his advantage. Grissom’s feet were literally on fire, but the man was too stupid to realize it.
“Um.” Anemone pointed at Grissom’s feet. “You might want to take your boots off before that fire gets much worse.”
A roar of rage came from Grissom as he kicked his boots off. The man glared at Paytah before barreling toward the Fire Mystic. But Paytah
was ready for him, and once more Grissom was on his back, staring up at the sky in confusion.
This time Paytah didn’t stop there. He flipped Grissom over and had the bully’s arm twisted up his back. “Now I’m only going to say this once. Bodhi is family, and I will not allow you to disrespect family.”
Bodhi had no idea how he’d become a part of their family, but right now he didn’t care. He was just grateful Paytah had decided to help. Too bad Grissom didn’t seem to care.
After Paytah released the man’s arms, Grissom stood up and grabbed Bodhi once more, pulling him into his enormous body. “Bodhi is mine, and no one is going to take him from me.” As if to prove his statement, Grissom shook Bodhi once more, his hand like a steel band around Bodhi’s arm.
If this were happening to anyone else, Bodhi would find it somewhat amusing when Paytah shook his head and said, “Don’t say I didn’t try to warn you.”
A howl of outrage split the air, sending the hairs on Bodhi’s body straight up. Grissom glanced around, his body tense and on alert as his animal reacted to the apparent danger somewhere nearby. “What was that?”
Paytah leaned in as if to tell a secret. “That is Kai, the Alpha’s enforcer.” The man gave a smile. “And Bodhi’s mate.”
The moment Paytah mentioned Kai, Bodhi relaxed, somehow knowing everything would be all right now that the man was there. His gaze immediately went to where he’d heard the unholy howl as he searched for Kai. So engrossed in trying to find the man, it took him several seconds to register what Paytah had said.
“Wait.” His head whipped around to stare at the Fire Mystic. “Did you say ‘mate’?”
Paytah gave him a big shit-eating grin. “Yep. Welcome to the family.”
Bodhi’s heart leapt into his throat as he tried to wrap his head around everything that had happened since meeting Kai. He’d actually walked away from his mate. The one that was fated to be his.
His entire life he’d watched his parents, praying he’d one day find that person that completed him so perfectly, and he almost let Kai get away. “I am such an idiot.”