Jarrett, AJ - Miles's Awakening [Warriors of the Light 1] (Siren Publishing Allure ManLove) (9 page)

“You found it,” Ben said as he stepped forward to kiss Miles full on the mouth.

“Guys, come on. We want to eat, not watch you two cop a feel on one another,” Jensen teased as he grabbed his usual seat on the right side of the table.

Ben cleared his throat, silencing the laughter that started to carry around the room. He led Miles to the chair next to his and pulled it out for him to sit. Once he was certain Miles was settled, he took his seat at the head of the table.

Trevor showed Quinn he thought he was number one as he passed by. He sat on the other side of Miles. Ben watched as Quinn fisted his hands but didn’t comment on the hand gesture.

“Okay, Miles and Trevor, these men are the CPB’s Warriors of the Light. Across from you, Miles, is Jensen, Cason—you’ve already met him. Then there’s Cabot, Jace, Finn, Abner and Lachlan. Lachlan has a twin, so if you see two of them walking around that’s why, and his name is Lawson. And Quinn you know.” Ben squinted one eye in thought while he ran through the warriors that were in the house currently. “Oh, I almost forgot, Liam. He’s working on some things in the office right now and couldn’t join us for dinner.”

“Is that everyone?” Miles asked as he arranged his napkin in his lap.

“No. There is more of my crew, but they’re out looking for leads on Malcolm and Sayer.”

Miles nodded his head in understanding. “Well it’s nice to meet you, gentlemen. I hope my cousin and I won’t be too bothersome for you.”

“Oh, Miles, you won’t be a problem at all. Unlike someone else I know,” Quinn said as he narrowed his eyes on Trevor.

“Yeah, well you’re a problem too, you wise ass,” Trevor mumbled under his breath.

“Shall we eat?” Ben quickly changed the subject before Trevor and Quinn got into it again.

Conversation was plentiful around the table. The warriors found Miles as charming as Ben did. He had a unique personality that drew people in like bees to honey. The man was very personable and actually listened and remember the guys’ names.

Now where Trevor was concerned, the other guys thought he was just hysterical. Quinn seemed a bit peeved the other men talked with and acknowledged Trevor. Jealousy was clearly written all over his face, but without Quinn admitting anything to him, there was nothing he could do to help his longtime friend.

Dessert was served, and as they finished up, they drank coffee and sat around the table discussing the plans set in motion to rescue Sayer. Miles really seemed to take the kidnapping of a man he didn’t even know really hard. He offered suggestions and ideas the guys hadn’t even thought of.

As the night came to a close, Ben and Miles were the only two left at the table. A few of the guys went on patrol while a few went back to the conference room to look over more police reports and maps in search of Malcolm’s hideout.

Lachlan and Abner took Trevor on a tour of the house so he wouldn’t get lost. Ben noticed that Quinn trailed not too far behind wherever Trevor went.

Finishing his coffee, he gestured for Miles to come to him. Without hesitation, Miles came to the command. He sat on Ben’s lap and cuddled up close to his chest. Ben sighed his joy at having his mate near to him and be so willing to be touched by him.

“You like it here so far, baby?” Ben asked as he stroked his fingers through Miles’s hair.

Miles moaned at the lazy caress against his scalp. “I do.” He pulled away to look into Ben’s eyes. “Just being with you makes everything so worth it.”

Ben’s lips curled up at the corners, and he dipped his head down to kiss Miles’s rose-colored lips. The kiss was sweetly affectionate to emphasize to Miles just how much he loved him. When they parted, Ben used his hand to rub at Miles’s back.

“Miles, can I ask you a question?”

“Sure, Ben, you can ask me anything.” Miles wiggled to get more comfortable on his lap.

“What’s that little saying you and Trevor say to each other all the time? If it’s private, you don’t have to tell me.”

Miles chuckled. “No, it’s not private. My and Trev’s mothers are sisters. I was born six months before him, but we were still close enough in age that we became best friends. We lived in a small farming town in Iowa, so we didn’t have a lot of options to meet a lot of people.”

“Long story short, being gay and living in a small town doesn’t go together. When I realized I was gay, I of course talked to Trevor.” Miles laughed. “I remember so vividly telling him and worrying that he wouldn’t love me anymore because of it. But in true Trevor fashion, he was relieved because he was gay, too.”

Ben continued to rub at Miles’s arms. “And your family wasn’t accepting of this?”

Miles tilted his head up to look at Ben. “Are you guessing, or do you already know, Ben?”

He could hear the touch of weariness in Miles’s tone. “To be completely honest with you, we did do a full background check trying to see if Malcolm had any other motives to want you. We needed to be prepared for all possibilities. All I saw in the papers were where you were from and the lack of contact with your family.” Ben ran his knuckles down Miles’s face. “Please don’t be upset with me.”

“I’m not. I kind of was thinking you guys would probably do that if you hadn’t already. But your assumption is right. They didn’t take our coming out as good news. So we made sure to attend a college that we both got accepted to so we could stay together. Trev got a full scholarship in art to attend the University of Missouri, and I got a partial for my academic accomplishments.”

“So after our parents continued preaching about how we had to change our evil diversions, we decided to quit our family. We knew we needed to live for ourselves, not our folks. So from the day we left Clarinda, Iowa, we decided no matter what, we would be always together, never apart. We were each other’s only family. We haven’t spoken to our parents since.”

Ben noticed Miles’s eyes got misty as he told his story, and he wanted to erase all the bad memories from his mate’s mind. It was an unrealistic expectation, but he would work damn hard to make sure Miles never felt that kind of sorrow and pain again.

“If you let me, baby, I would love to be a part of your and Trevor’s family.”

Miles turned in the chair to face Ben. “You already are,” Miles whispered low.

The love he felt for Miles once again bubbled to the surface, and he stood up. He nearly knocked Miles to the floor in the process but was able to catch his mate. In a quick-as-lightening move, he picked Miles up and sat him on the table then leaned in to kiss his mate.

When Miles’s lips parted in a whimper, Ben used the opportunity to thrust his tongue into his boy’s warm, moist mouth. He played with Miles’s tongue, sucking and licking until both men were left panting.

Ben pulled back and braced his hands on either side of Miles’s face. “God, I want you again. I need to be inside you.” He rubbed his thumbs along Miles’s cheekbones, and Miles blinked his eyes open. “Can I claim you, my love?”

Miles breathed in a shaking breath. “Yes.”

A smile broke across Ben’s lips at Miles’s acceptance to becoming his mate. Just as he dove in for another kiss, Quinn came rushing into the dining room.

“Sorry to interrupt, boss, but we just got a call from Lawson and Abner. They got a lead on Malcolm. They followed him back to a location not too far from here. I got the coordinates, and we’re ready to head out.”

Cursing silently under his breath, Ben pulled away from Miles. “I’m sorry, baby.”

Miles shook his head. “Don’t be. Go take care of that asshole, and come back to me. I’ll being waiting for you.”

One more kiss to his mate’s lips then he stepped back. He walked around the table to where Quinn stood. “I want Elias and Liam to stay behind to watch over Miles and Trevor.”

“They’re en route. We need the computer tech team to help disable any type of security Malcolm may have set up. I’ve got Cabot and Jensen circling the perimeter of the house. They’ll keep our boys safe.”

Ben cocked his head at the “our boys” remark. It wasn’t the time to question his friend yet again on his protectiveness over Trevor.

Quinn cleared his throat and excused himself, and Ben let him go. He turned toward his mate. The thought of leaving Miles even just for a little bit didn’t sit well with him. He had an odd feeling in his gut that never led him astray before, but duty called, and Miles would be perfectly safe here.

“Miles, promise me you’ll stay in the house?”

Miles rolled his eyes. “Where would I go? It’s ten o’clock at night.

Ben placed his hands on either side of Miles’s face. “Promise me.”

A twinkle lit up his mate’s eyes. “I promise. Now go so you can get back and we can explore this mating thing together.”

Miles dropped his gaze and chewed on his lower lip. Ben’s breath got stuck in his chest. Could Miles be ready to make that commitment? He remembered how to breathe again and pulled his mate into a hard, forceful kiss. This was only the beginning for him and Miles.

The rumbling from Miles’s moan brought him back to his senses, and he pulled back from Miles. “I’ll be back.” Ben dropped one more kiss to his mate’s forehead. “Stay in the inside. Jensen and Cabot will keep look out around the house.”

“Yes sir.” Miles saluted him.

“Wise ass.” Ben chuckled as he turned to leave. He still had an odd feeling inside him that something didn’t seem right, but it had to be nerves for finally putting an end to Malcolm once and for all.

Chapter Seven

“So, cuz, what are we going to do now?”

Miles looked up at his cousin as he walked into the dining room. He still sat on top of the table, absently tracing his fingertip across his lips and remembering Ben’s mouth upon his. The man had just left, and he already missed him.

Pushing his needy thoughts away, he could function without Ben around. He had survived twenty-one years without him. He could go a few hours without the man he was beginning to love being around.

Miles shrugged. “We could pop some popcorn and watch a movie. What do ya say, little man?”

Trevor started to walk toward the kitchen. “You keep calling me little, and I’m going to show you little.” He spun on his heel and punched at the air. “I got moves that will make you cry like a bitch.”

He looked at his cousin dancing around like a crazed boxer, getting ready to go three rounds. Laughter slowly bubbled up from his chest as he watched the show in front of him. The ringing of the doorbell ceased his laughter.

“Who could that be?”

Miles shook his head. “I’m not sure.”

He started to head for the door, but Trevor’s hand on his shoulder stopped him. Miles turned to look at his cousin.

“Are you sure it’s safe? I mean, the guys just left. Doesn’t it seem odd someone would be coming over now?”

Miles took a minute to think about it but thought it a silly notion. They had two shifters outside watching the house. If danger came a calling, the guys outside would have sent some sort of warning.

“Trevor, relax. Ben said he had Jensen and Cabot outside keeping watch. They wouldn’t let anything happen to us.” At his cousin’s furrowed brow, he reached out and squeezed his shoulder. “Stop worrying. Go to the kitchen and start the popcorn, and I’ll get the door.”

Trevor’s eyes darted to the door when the doorbell rang again. “Okay. I guess I am a little jumpy. Sure you don’t want me to go with you?”

Miles shook his head. “I think I can handle opening up a door all by myself.” He chuckled when Trevor flipped him the finger.

Trevor turned and headed to the kitchen. Miles waited until he was out of sight then walked toward the front door. He looked out the peephole and saw a man with his back to the door wearing a ball cap turned around backward. Miles recognized the hat as Jensen’s from dinner, a Red Sox cap.