by Lynn Hagen
“We can sit on the floor if your legs aren’t steady enough.” Mike’s voice yanked Kester from his thoughts, centering him back in the office.
“I’m-I’m fine.” Kester gripped Mike’s biceps and used them as leverage to push to his feet, but he didn’t let them go when he stood. He needed the contact, needed the grip to steady himself.
Mike curled his fingers around Kester’s wrist, but Kester could tell the touch was to check his pulse.
“Better,” Mike said with a small smile. “Any lightheadedness? Do you need to sit down?
Kester felt like his head was connected to his body on a spring because he kept nodding as Mike directed him to a lobby chair. Instead of sitting next to him, Mike once again hunched down in front of Kester.
It took a moment for Kester to focus as he took a shuddering breath and gave Mike a weak smile. He didn’t bother trying to explain away what had just happened. He didn’t need Mike to know how much trouble he was in. What if Mike found out and made him leave? Without a vehicle and only a few hundred bucks, he wouldn’t get far.
Thankfully Mike didn’t ask any questions. He rested his strong, warm hands on Kester’s thighs, staring at Kester with concern.
“I really am okay now.” Kester looked toward the front door. He saw Deon and Russell standing outside, blowing into their hands to warm them. “Please ask them to come inside.”
“Let’s concentrate on you. They’ll be fine.”
“I-I want to go to my room.” Kester stood too fast. A wave of dizziness made him sway.
“Steady.” Mike curled his hands around Kester’s hips. “Take as much time as you need.”
Kester raked a trembling hand through his hair. Not only was he still shaken but Mike’s closeness had his body yearning to get even closer. He sidestepped and headed to the door, his movements more solid. Mike was right behind him as they walked outside.
Russell gave Kester a small smile as he passed the men.
“You guys can head out,” Mike said. “We’ll talk later.”
Kester didn’t bother to see if they left. He concentrated on his own feet as he walked to his door, but he fumbled in his pocket for his key.
Mike gently moved Kester’s hand aside and dug the key out then unlocked the door. He placed his hand at the small of Kester’s back and coaxed him inside.
The lights were off, making the room dim. Kester fumbled for the switch, desperate for light. There were still some remnants of that choking fear lingering. The light would help to chase it away.
Mike led him to the bed and made Kester sit.
When Mike turned to leave, Kester grabbed his hand. “Don’t go. Please. I-I don’t want to be alone right now.”
Mike nodded and sat next to him. Their bodies were touching. Kester soaked up Mike’s heat, savoring it, welcoming the warmth. When he leaned into Mike’s side, the guy wrapped his arm around him.
They sat in silence for the longest moment, just listening to each other’s breathing. Kester felt more grounded now, steadier. He tried to pull away, but Mike’s arm tightened.
Kester looked up, his lips parting at the blazing heat in those pretty brown eyes. His heart raced again, only this time it was because Mike was about to kiss him.
Chapter Five
This was the absolute wrong thing to do, but Mike couldn’t stop himself from stealing a kiss no more than he could stop breathing. He wanted to erase the terror in Kester’s eyes, to vanquish whatever had crippled his mate.
He should get off the bed and walk out, do the honorable thing and let Kester center himself. The choice was taken out of his hands when his mate curled his arms around Mike’s neck and pulled him close, slanting his head for a scorching kiss.
Mike groaned and turned slightly, taking Kester down to the covers. He slid his arm under Kester’s slim body, pulling his mate to his chest as the kiss deepened.
Then he slid his hand to Kester’s ass, pressing their groins together. His mate was just as hard as he was. That knowledge made Mike only harder.
“Kester,” Mike groaned, desperate to do the right thing, but he couldn’t pull himself away. Not when he had a soft and willing body pressed against him. Not when Mike’s wolf howled for him to take this further.
“Please,” Kester breathed against Mike’s lips. How the hell could he deny such a beautiful plea? But he had to at least try.
“I feel like I’m taking advantage of you.” He kissed along Kester’s smooth jaw.
“I promise. You’re not.”
Mike tried to ease away, but Kester hooked a leg around him and straddled him. He sat atop Mike, looking victorious. His smile made Mike’s heart thunder and his will crumble. If this was what Kester needed, Mike would give it to him—give him the reprieve he was looking for, the escape.
Tucking his hands behind his head, Mike asked, “Now what’re you gonna do?”
Kester’s ass was pressing down on Mike’s hard, throbbing cock, and it took every ounce of restraint he possessed to keep still. He was dying to bury his shaft into his mate’s body, to claim the human, to tie Kester’s soul to his.
When Kester didn’t answer him, Mike flipped them then dropped to his knees on the floor and watched his mate’s reaction carefully as he peeled the man’s shoes, socks, pants, and underwear off.
Kester didn’t object. He didn’t say a single word until Mike leaned up and nuzzled his mate’s balls, flicking his tongue out as Kester hissed and spread his legs.
Maybe a blowjob would relax his mate, tire him out, and make him forget whatever had caused his meltdown. That had been Mike’s intention, but when he tasted his mate for the first time, all thoughts of giving a quick and relaxing head job flew out the window.
Mike used the flat of his tongue to run the length of Kester’s cock, paying close attention to the heavy vein that ran alongside it. Moans and whimpers escaped Kester’s throat, spurring Mike on and making him feel as if he’d combust from the fire racing through his veins.
Mike wanted to devour Kester, in a sexual way, of course. Now that he’d tasted his mate’s essence, he knew once would never be enough. He wanted Kester in every way possible. Not just the body but the mind and soul, too.
Hopefully by the time they were done, Kester would be his mate and his thoughts wouldn’t be on whatever set off that trigger back in the office. Mike had never felt so heartbroken for anyone. Not like he had when Kester had fallen apart. Mike wanted to be Kester’s hero, the guy who saved him from whatever dragons he was fighting against.
And that told Mike that he was falling for Kester, and fast. It was the way his mate carried himself, shy at times, exuberant at others. But it was also Kester’s vulnerability, too. Mike wanted to protect him from the insanity of the world.
Relaxing his throat muscles, he took Kester’s steel-hard cock all the way down then pulled back, repeatedly using suction until Kester arched his back, kicked out his legs, and shouted Mike’s name as spurts of cum shot down Mike’s throat.
He moved back up his mate’s body, dropping gentle kisses along the way. Kester’s breaths were coming out in short, uneven pants as Mike reached his mate’s lips.
Oh yeah. Kester was languid, lying there with glazed eyes and a happy look on his face. As badly as he wanted to fuck Kester, Mike simply curled around him, pulling the small human against his body.
Kester snuggled into him and yawned. Mike could wait. He wanted his mate begging for it when he finally claimed him. He wanted things to be right, not a mere attempt at soothing Kester’s troubles away.
When he knew Kester was asleep, Mike got up and looked out the window. The dark sedan was gone. He stepped outside and spotted Deon in his pickup, looking down at his phone. The panther had somehow known to stick around.
Deon rolled the window down as Mike approached.
“How do you feel about being a bodyguard?” he asked. “I’d pay you.”
Deon chuckled. “I had a feeling that was what you wanted, so I’ve been doi
ng that while you were in your mate’s room.” He jerked a chin toward room five. “The guy took off about five minutes ago. I wanted to follow him but knew you wanted me to stick around.”
Mike arched a brow. “You some kind of mind reader?”
“Nope, I just know you too well,” Deon said. “And after your mate’s…um…”
“Episode,” Mike supplied.
“Yeah, that,” Deon said. “I knew what you wanted me for. It didn’t take a genius to figure out Kester is in trouble or had been seriously abused.”
There would be times when Mike wouldn’t be able to stay at the motel. He had three businesses to run, and since Deon wasn’t busy right now, it wouldn’t hurt to put extra cash in his pockets, not that he thought the guy was pressed for money.
He also liked the fact that Deon could read him. It had made things easier and stopped Mike from having to explain things to him.
“I’m gonna have Russell come here in the morning,” Mike said. “Gonna have him draw up some plans for the renovation, so you’ll have help keeping an eye on my mate. Let Kester get involved so he has something to do.”
Mike had deliveries at the tavern to handle tomorrow morning, and Kester needed to man the front desk at the motel. He also wanted to get his mate’s Bronco towed to Timely Auto Repair over on Marvin Avenue to see if it was worth repairing.
“You with him for the rest of the night?” Deon adjusted his cowboy hat. Mike couldn’t recall a time when his friend wasn’t wearing it.
“Yeah. You can take off for tonight. Be here around six tomorrow morning.” He tapped the side of Deon’s truck before walking into the office and looking around, envisioning what the drab and musty-smelling room would look like once it had a facelift.
He reached for his phone when it rang. “Find anything?” he asked Darren.
“As far as I can tell, Smitty Green is squeaky clean. He’s never even gotten a parking ticket.”
That didn’t mean Smitty was legit. There was just something about him that had Mike’s gut twitching. “I appreciate you looking into it for me.”
Darren chuckled. “I’m gonna start charging you for these background checks if you ask me to run any more.”
“Can’t promise I won’t stop asking if another stranger comes to town. Until I know Kester is safe, I’m not taking any chances.” Mike leaned against the wall and looked out the window, staring at Kester’s door.
He jerked when he felt something crawl on his arm. Mike slapped at his skin, and a roach hit the floor. He hated that he screamed like a little bitch as he ran out the door, and that Darren had no doubt heard him.
“What’s wrong?” Darren sounded alert, ready to drive out there if danger was near.
“A fucking roach!” He heard Darren hooting with laughter on the other end. “That shit ain’t funny. Those things are nasty!”
“Big bad wolf shifter afraid of a tiny bug,” Darren teased. “Do you need me to come rescue you?”
“I’ll talk to you later, asshole.” Mike hung up then opened up a browser to search for exterminators. That damn roach had just declared war.
* * * *
Mike felt edgy the entire time he was gone. Although he trusted Deon’s skills as a shifter to keep Kester safe, Mike didn’t like being away from his mate. Not when someone had been watching for any news of Kester on the internet.
Now Mike wished he hadn’t run that background check. It had put Kester’s life in even more danger. Any minute someone could come to town looking for Kester. Like Smitty Green, although Mike wasn’t sure if the guy was connected to Strabo somehow or if he was just an innocent person passing through town.
He signed the delivery forms and began grabbing the boxes and taking them inside. There were only half a dozen, and soon he would be able to lock up the tavern and head back to the motel.
The box truck eased out of the parking lot and turned down the street, allowing Mike to see the traffic now that the delivery truck wasn’t obstructing his view.
He spotted the dark sedan as it drove by. The car was too far away to see the driver. Darren might’ve said that Smitty was clean, but Mike wasn’t going to ignore the nagging feeling in his gut.
He made quick work of putting the boxes away, stacking them neatly on the shelves in the pantry off the kitchen. Once he was done, he locked the door to the building and hopped into his truck, trying his best to find the sedan.
Five minutes later he saw it parked in front of Bistro. Mike eased in behind it and went inside the coffee shop. As usual the place was crowded this early in the morning. Mike always stopped for some coffee on his way to the tavern but was glad he’d waited.
Now he could spy on Smitty.
The guy was in line, staring down at his phone like everyone else in the place. The sound of steam hissing, the baristas calling out orders, and the sight of some customers sitting at tables on their laptops made this all seem familiar, comforting even, but Mike kept his eyes on Smitty.
When it was Mike’s turn at the counter, he ordered a coffee, paid, and then moved to the other end, trying to get close enough to see what Smitty was looking at on his phone.
“Hey, Mike.” Russell walked over and clapped him on the shoulder. “I was just getting my morning fix before I headed out to the motel.”
Smitty looked Mike’s way at the mention of the motel. Damn it. Mike had also wanted to get close enough to scent if Smitty was human or other. With all the smells floating around the shop, he hadn’t been able to detect what Smitty was.
It would be nice to know what he was up against. If Mike had been thinking, he could’ve gone into Smitty’s room after the guy had left to scent his odor. He cursed that he hadn’t thought about that earlier when he was at Deon’s truck talking to the guy.
“I drew up a few plans last night, just so you’d have a few options to choose from.” Russell thanked the barista when his cup was given to him. He smiled at Mike. “That’s one good thing about always ordering the same thing. The people here already know what I want.”
The barista smirked. “There’s your double skinny nonfat mocha latte, no foam, one shot of espresso, a dollop of cream, and one packet of sweetener.”
Mike arched a brow.
Russell grimaced. “Hey, I like how it tastes.”
“Do you need me to hold your purse while you drink it?” Mike teased as he watched Smitty grab his drink and walk out. Was he headed back to the motel now that he knew Mike was in town?
“Very funny,” Russell grumbled. “You wouldn’t be saying that if you tried it.”
“I’ll pass at having my balls snipped and meet you at the motel.” Mike strode out and saw Smitty was already gone.
He got back into his truck and cursed. He should’ve gotten Kester a coffee. Instead of following Smitty, Mike sent Deon a text to keep an eye out for his sedan then steered his truck toward the diner.
With a big bag of breakfast on the passenger seat—after a long wait because the diner was just as packed as the coffee shop—Mike drove to the motel.
The sedan was parked outside room five. Mike looked at his mate’s door, and it was ajar. Leaving the food and drinks behind, Mike jumped out and rushed into Kester’s room, ready to attack any threat.
What he found was Kester in the shower, singing off-key. Kester definitely didn’t need to quit his day job, but listening to him rattle off the lyrics to an unfamiliar song had Mike smiling.
Also frowning. If Kester was in the shower, why was the door cracked open?
Mike grabbed the food and drinks from the truck and brought them inside. After setting them on the table, he went to find Deon. The black panther was seated in his truck, his nose in his phone.
Mike rapped on the window and asked, “Have you been keeping an eye on everything?”
Deon stretched, his corded muscles popping. “Saw your guy come back, but all has been quiet.”
“My mate’s door was ajar.”
Deon furrowed his brows. “It w
asn’t because anyone snuck in. I swear I’ve been watching and no one got past me.”
The only way into the room was the front window, which didn’t open, and the door. Had Mike closed it all the way when he’d left this morning? He had to have, because a cold breeze would’ve made Kester shut it. This had to have happened after Kester had gotten into the shower.
Mike needed to install cameras. That would be done today, if possible. He’d feel better knowing he could remotely keep an eye on his mate whenever Mike couldn’t be there.
“Do you want me to do a perimeter sweep?” Deon asked.
Mike’s brows drew down. What did a farmer know about perimeter sweeps?
Deon shrugged. “They do them on TV all the time. It sounded cool, right?”
With a roll of his eyes, Mike headed back to Kester’s room. He couldn’t be upset with Deon. Not entirely. The guy wasn’t a professional bodyguard and didn’t have the honed skills a trained specialist would have.
Mike closed the door, hoping the room warmed back up before Kester finished with his shower. A snarl rumbled through Mike’s chest when someone knocked on the door.
When he opened it, he found Raven McCoy on the other side. “You got the key to the Bronco?”
Shit. He’d completely forgotten he’d scheduled with Raven the night before for the Bronco to be towed to the mechanic shop. Past Raven, Mike saw some rainbow-haired guy sitting in the passenger seat of the tow truck.
“Hang on. I’ll get it for you.” Mike closed the door, making Raven wait outside since Kester was still in the shower. He rummaged through Kester’s pants that he’d worn yesterday and found the set of keys.
He also found a tiny clear packet filled with white powder. Mike was no expert when it came to drugs, but damn if it didn’t look like cocaine. Even if he opened the bag and sniffed, he wouldn’t know what he smelled. It wasn’t as though Mike had ever scented the drug before.