by Brina Brady
“Nothing is wrong with me. I don’t need a doctor.” Emilio had no love for doctors. He did his best to avoid them.
“That wasn’t a question. You will go tomorrow with me to see the doctor. Then we’ll get you some more clothes.” Rafe told him as if he had no other choice.
“I can’t believe you’re making me do shit.” Emilio was testing Rafe because he had never acted like this before. He was taking his job of protecting a little too serious.
“I won’t think twice about beating your ass if you don’t listen to me. Your protection is the most important thing to me. Got it?”
“Got it.” Emilio rolled his eyes.
“Don’t roll your eyes in my presence.”
Emilio covered his eyes so Rafe wouldn’t see him rolling them again.
“This is what all Gay Protection Society members must do before they are accepted. I’m not going to treat you any differently. That wouldn’t be fair.”
“I think you’re setting me up so no one wants me.”
“Just be yourself at the party, and one of the men will claim you. Remember that. Just because you feel rejected by James doesn’t mean no one will want you. Believe me, there will be tons of guys after you.”
“Why couldn’t James teach me how to be who he wants?”
“He wants a sub. I don’t think that’s for you right now. James can dole out some tough punishments, even though he hasn’t been a Dom since he joined the Society. His dominating personality is strong and hard to leave behind.”
“I can deal with it if he’d take me.”
“Once you meet your new protector, you’ll forget about James. You like him because he saved you in the church from a beatdown. I get why you’re clinging to him.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Kaden
Kaden rushed into the bar that curved into a dark, barely lit room when he spotted Rafe sitting at their favorite booth. They usually sat at the same place. They both liked routine in their lives. Kaden arrived later than they had agreed to meet for a drink. When he slid into the booth across from his best friend, Rafe’s long legs brushed against his. For a brief moment, it reminded Kaden of the times they were lovers, when they were in the Marines.
“About time you show your ass, Kaden.” Rafe scanned him up and down as if he were looking for some physical sign for why he was late. He detested tardiness.
Kaden tidied up the table and reset the condiments before he picked up his beer and slugged half of it. Carefully, he set his beer in its proper place. “Thanks for the reminder text because I had forgotten all about the time.”
“What were you doing?” Rafe asked with a smirk.
“Fucking.”
Kaden watched Rafe’s bland expression change to shock. Rafe had never adjusted to Kaden fucking other men, even though they hadn’t been together for five years. Rafe’s brown eyes and his mouth were frozen wide open in an expression of stunned surprise. Of course, Rafe had no issue when he messed around with other guys. Kaden had to admit he sometimes wished they were still together. Neither of them had found a love replacement.
“Did you take that skinny guy from last night home with you?”
Kaden nodded with a grin.
“Is it serious?” Rafe leaned over the table and brushed his leg against Kaden’s again.
“Are you jealous?” Kaden asked, tilting his head.
“I think you could do better than that guy, that’s all.”
“He’s a ballet dancer.”
“That definitely doesn’t make me like him any more. He looks and acts as if he’s in his teens. Are you sure he’s not underage?” Rafe asked, stroking his dark beard.
“He’s old enough. He’s just a major drama queen.” If Rafe only knew how overly sensitive and possessive that little guy was last night.
“Interesting. I didn’t know you were into the fem type.”
“He was a one-night stand if it matters to you.” Sometimes Rafe took it personally when Kaden chose a new guy to fuck as if it had something to do with him. Surely, he should remember why they had dropped the sex between them.
“We have ten new young men. Did you read all the bios I emailed you?” Rafe asked in a serious tone as he quickly changed the topic he no longer wanted to discuss. That was Rafe’s M.O.: change the topic when he didn’t want to discuss it any longer and move to another regardless if anyone had more to add. Kaden was all too familiar with Rafe’s need to top in all situations, but he understood Rafe’s urges and didn’t allow it to define him, so he went with the flow to keep the peace between them.
“I read them. None of them suited me. I’m sorry, but I can’t be with just anyone, and they are all short-timers.” Kaden shoved his blond hair out of his eyes. He really wanted a new guy to protect, but he didn’t like anyone in the new crop. Many of the new ones needed short-term protection which meant he wouldn’t be able to have a deeper bond. His last one left his protection when Kaden started to care about him. He had thought they were a good fit, but it didn’t work out once Rafe had offered him a new ID and a move to New York City.
“I get that, but last night didn’t matter, right?” Rafe asked.
“When are you going to get one?” Kaden winked as he wondered why Rafe almost sounded jealous that he’d found someone for the night. Kaden probably would have felt the same way if he were the one to go home alone.
“Soon. I’m working on one now, but I have a question I want to ask you.”
“Ask already.” Kaden lifted his beer mug and gulped the other half.
Rafe pulled out a picture from his wallet and passed it to Kaden. “What do you think of him?”
Kaden sighed in satisfaction as a smile spread across his face. “I’d like to fuck him. Is he going to be available too?”
“That’s Emilio Escobar. He’s my cousin.” Rafe clasped his hands behind his head the same way a peacock spreads its wings.
“Oh fuck!” Kaden covered his mouth as if he wished he hadn’t been so forthcoming with his answer. He continued to stare at Emilio’s dark hair flopping over his eyes in a “fuck me” kind of way. He had the same twinkle in his eyes as Rafe. Emilio’s three gold studded earrings were as darling as he was.
“Right now, he’s staying with me, but he wants his own protector. I told him he could go to the party tomorrow night, but I won’t let just anyone claim him.”
“And?” Kaden lifted his light brows in anticipation.
“And if you’re interested in protecting him, I’d really appreciate that.”
“Are you asking me to claim him without fucking him?” Kaden asked.
“Did I say anything about fucking? That would be up to you and Emilio, not me.”
“Who’s protecting him while you’re here?”
“James. They made popcorn together and plan to watch movies.”
“Do you trust James not to fuck Emilio?” Kaden was disgusted with his own jealous question. He rarely acted like this, but he didn’t want Emilio to fall for James.
“That’s a stupid question. I’m not even going to answer it.” Rafe shook his head playfully.
“You know how James is. His big black dick goes all over the place,” Kaden said.
“And your white dick doesn’t?”
When Rafe finished his beer, Kaden waved to the cute male server standing beside the bar area to bring more beers by gesturing two fingers. The rock music was too loud for him to shout his order across the room.
“I’m not sure I want you supervising me with your cousin.” Kaden stared at the picture of the charming guy wearing tight jeans and a black midriff T-shirt. On his wrist were colorful bracelets in woven leather. His gorgeous dark eyes were a mesmerizing brown fringed with long dark lashes. He definitely was Kaden’s type, very similar looking to Rafe. Well, they were cousins.
“I promise you’ll be in charge of Emilio, and I won’t interfere. I trust you with my life. He’ll fall in love with you like I did.”
“Love? I don’t
know about love, but I’d never hurt him. If you promise you won’t come between us, it would be an honor to protect him. I want Emilio.”
The server set two beers in front of them and removed their empty ones. Before he left, he winked at Kaden.
“That eases my mind some. He was pretty insistent on having his own protector.”
“Who’s chasing him?” Kaden couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to harm Emilio. He was adorable.
“My father wants to kidnap him and force me to return Mateo in exchange for Emilio. He also threatened to kill him if I didn’t return Mateo to run his business. Emilio’s old boss is after him too. I’ll email you a file on him tonight explaining the details.”
“Does Emilio know about this?” Kaden’s forehead creased from worrying about Emilio’s safety.
“He knows. He was hiding out from my father, but he ran into trouble with his boss, so he knows he needs protection. He doesn’t do well alone. He’s very wild if you know what I mean. My only fear is that he might cheat on you if you bond with him. Remember he’s young. I don’t want him to hurt you either.”
“Your family is fucked up in too many damn ways to count. I’ll deal with his wildness my way. I’m sure I can keep him too busy to fuck around on me.” Kaden looked forward to the challenge of taming Emilio.
“Thanks. It means a lot to me that you’ll take care of him.”
“He’ll be safe and happy with me. Don’t worry. Is there anything else I need to know about him?”
“He doesn’t eat green food, and he likes to be thrown over a man’s shoulder.”
“No green food. I can change that with my excellent cooking skills.”
“Good luck with that,” Rafe said.
“Why doesn’t he like green food?”
“His father made him eat spinach for one week straight. Now, he won’t go near any green food.”
“A week of spinach? What the hell is wrong with that man?”
“His father is my father’s brother. Both are on the mean side.”
“How do you know your cousin likes to be thrown over a man’s shoulder?”
“He told me he loved it when James threw him over his shoulder.” Rafe’s mischievous smile lingered for a long time as if it had been forgotten there.
“What the hell?”
“James threw him over his shoulder when Emilio froze. He sees James as his savior, but he knows James picked someone else.”
“I’ll make sure James knows he’s mine.”
“Emilio’s going to bartend at the party and wear a lime-green collar. Make sure you wrap the same color tie around his neck first so no one else touches him.”
Kaden nodded. “How old is he?”
“Eighteen, but he’s fucked around a lot.”
“He has?” Kaden studied the picture again and imagined removing those tight jeans off him and fucking Emilio all night. This time, he noticed a small eyebrow ring.
“He’s gotten into a lot of trouble since his parents told him to leave after my father threatened to hurt their other children. He was supposed to move in with me, but he never showed up. He’d changed his phone number, and I couldn’t reach him. Yesterday, he called me when he needed some help.”
“How did he get up here?”
“James picked him up in San Diego.”
“James, our James?” Kaden’s thoughts returned to images of James fucking Emilio. He doubted James would let a little popcorn get between his dick and Emilio’s ass. Why was he acting so possessive and protective of Emilio at this point? He wasn’t the jealous type, but something didn’t sit right with him when he heard about James being with him after he had driven him to Ojai. Hopefully, James was too messed up over ending his relationship. James had said he wasn’t bonded to the last one, but Kaden didn’t buy that at all.
“Yes, our James. He happened to be in the area, dropping off his guy in San Diego. I know that look. Nothing happened with James and Emilio.”
“And you know this how?” Kaden asked.
“James said Emilio needs discipline and would make a great sub, but he’s more interested in one of the new ones from the second crop of boys. He already picked out the one he wants.”
“So he saw the second group?” Kaden felt slighted that Rafe had given James access to the second crop of boys before him. Usually, Kaden was given first choice of the new guys.
“Yes. Do you want to see all the others from the second group before you make a final decision on Emilio?” Rafe’s voice dropped from his disappointment.
“I want Emilio. I don’t need to see the second group.”
“The only reason I let James see the second group before you is because he brought Emilio home when I had compiled all the information into files. I didn’t have time to send you the second group, but I’ll admit I was hoping you’d want Emilio.”
“I’m not pissed that James stepped in front of me to check the list first. I’m happy to protect Emilio. He’s adorable.”
“Don’t tell him I asked you to take him. Let him think it was your choice.”
“You really didn’t force me to take him. It was my choice. And…I picked him,” Kaden said.
“That’s a big relief because I wasn’t going to allow him with anyone else. I would have kept him with me and my Alek.”
Kaden glanced around the room at the patrons, accidentally making eye contact with Paul-Louis, the skinny guy he had taken home last night. He must have followed Kaden here after he’d left. Stuck in a trance-like state, Kaden stared at his gray eyes that were completely void of emotion. Kaden smirked while Paul-Louis gracefully made his way to their table. The ballet dancer had long, midnight black hair with pink streaks.
“I thought you said you needed to go to work,” Paul-Louis said as his ivory-white face turned red.
“Did you follow me here?” Kaden asked.
“I just wanted to see if you were giving me the brush-off or if you were telling the truth.”
“Don’t follow me ever!” Kaden stood, towering over Paul-Louis.
“So you were lying to me. You’re with this guy.” Paul-Louis pointed to Rafe. “You’re going to pay for fucking around on me.” He pulled out a knife from his pocket and aimed it at Kaden.
Kaden quickly removed the knife and shoved him against the table.
“Stay the fuck away from me.”
“I have brothers who will make you pay for messing with me.”
“Get the fuck out of here,” Rafe shouted as he stood.
Kaden grabbed him by the shoulders, forcing Paul-Louis to face the exit, and kneed his ass. Paul-Louis rushed out of the bar.
“What the hell was that all about?” Rafe asked.
Kaden sat down and chugged down his second beer. “I guess he expected a ring around his finger since I fucked him all day and night. I don’t know.”
“What’s his name?” Rafe asked.
“Paul-Louis Couchoud. He’s French.”
“He was wearing pink nail polish. I didn’t know you liked that sort of thing.”
“He wears it for his ballet recitals.” Kaden wondered why Rafe was so interested in the guy.
“I don’t like that he followed you. He’s small and delusional, but he’s fucking pissed at you. There’s no telling what he’ll do to get revenge,” Rafe said.
“No one fucks with me, especially that little drama queen.”
“Did you lie to him?” Rafe asked.
“This guy was too damn needy, so I said what I needed to do to get rid of him. He stayed all day at my place, and he didn’t want to leave. He said he’d wait for me to return.”
“So you lied, and now he has a reason to retaliate. Don’t lie to them. Tell them upfront before you take them home. We don’t need our protectors in trouble with crackpots, too.”
“I don’t need any protection from that pink pint size.”
“I never figured you for lying like that,” Rafe said.
“Lesson learned. It won’t happe
n again. I don’t need this shit in my life. Anyway, we’ll be leaving Ojai soon for the cabins.”
“That’s true. Did any of our guys email you their food list?”
“Yes, James, Valerik, and Mateo sent me their lists. You’re the only one who didn’t. I’ll take Emilio down there on Saturday. We’ll go shopping for the group.”
“I’ll email you my list. I need Emilio for the second party to bartend, so can you return for that?”
“Sure we can. No problem, but he’ll wear my tie when he does. I don’t want anyone touching him.”
“The rest of us will be at the cabins the day after the second party, so you and Emilio will be alone for a week.”
“Perfect for bonding, and before you say it, I’m getting tested tomorrow.”
“I knew you would. I hope everything works out for you both.”
“It will.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Emilio
Rafe stopped the car in front of a mustard-colored adobe home with bright turquoise trim set behind trees.
“Emilio, this is your night to shine. Remember to be yourself at the party and one of the men will claim you. That doesn’t mean for you to entertain all the protectors. This is not your old job, so behave yourself when you work the bar. I’m going to park the car, and then I’ll join the party.”
“I promise I’ll be on my best behavior and I won’t embarrass you.”
“Please leave James alone.”
“James will be at the party? I thought you said James picked Dante from the second group?” Emilio’s pulse quickened as he thought about James being at the party. For some reason, he needed James’s validation and attention.
“Yes, but he likes to come to all the parties and play with the new ones.”
“What about me? I’m a new one.” Emilio grinned at Rafe.
“What about you?”
“What if James wants to play with me, are you going to stop him?” Emilio glared at his cousin.
“The purpose of this party tonight is for you to secure your own protector. You’d be wasting your time with James because he’s taken, but I won’t stop him or you. Do what you think is right with James. Remember that he’ll be in our group. If you do anything with him, how will you feel about Dante, or how will he feel about you when you have your own protector?”