Page 5 of His to Protect
Chapter Four
Kaea was just pulling his sweatshirtover his head as the door to the motel opened, and Xavier walkedin. His heart rate accelerated, and he couldn’t help but return theother man's grin as he stepped further into the room, and placed alarge brown paper bag on the table by the door.
“Hey, you’re up! How’s thehead?” Xavier asked as he began pulling smaller packages out of thebag, and the room filled with the delicious aroma offood.
“Great!” Kaea’s stomachtook that moment to remind him it had been a while since he’deaten, and he grimaced. “But I could eat a horse I’m sohungry!”
Xavier made a face. “Yeah, a lot ofpeople use that saying, but if they’d actually eaten horse, they’dknow it’s not all that.”
Kaea froze as he was about to take aseat at the table, and looked up. “Wait—really? You’ve eaten ahorse?”
“When the bear’s hungry,you gotta feed him.” There was no missing the humor that glitteredin Xavier’s dark gray eyes, but Kaea couldn’t tell if he wasserious or not. Shaking his head, but grinning nonetheless, hepulled one of the delicious smelling packets toward him andunwrapped the breakfast burrito housed within.
He lifted it to his mouth and frozewhen he saw Xavier sitting there, staring at him with an odd lookon his face rather than grabbing a breakfast sandwich of his own.“What?”
Xavier smiled, and Kaea was charmed tosee a slight shy edge to it. “It settles me and my bear to takecare of you, to provide for you. It’s just not something Iexpected.” Xavier wouldn’t meet his gaze as he grabbed some foodand unwrapped it. “You’re not something I expected.”
Unable to think of anything to say tothat, Kaea took a bite of the burrito and groaned as the flavorexploded in his mouth. He closed his eyes and took another largebite, and was chewing when he felt a strange heaviness full uponthe room. Xavier was staring at him with eyes that had turned anunnatural bright blue and an intense look on his face, one that hadKaea quickly swallowing the food in his mouth for fear of chokingon it.
“Your eyes,” hewhispered.
Xavier shrugged. “Yeah, a genetic sideeffect of shifting into a half ton bear, my eyes change to thiscrazy blue color.”
Kaea tilted his head to the side. “Idon’t think it’s a crazy color. I think it’s beautiful. Not tomention cool as fuck.”
The two of them grinned at each other,and Kaea’s heart swelled with the realization that the fledglingrelationship that was building between them felt strong. Kaeacontinued to eat, and watched in awe as Xavier seemed to inhalehalf the food on the table.
“Damn, Xavier,” Kaea saidwith a grin. “Where the hell do you put it all?”
Xavier finished his sixth burrito andreached for his seventh, returning his grin. “I’m a growing boy inneed of his strength.”
Kaea finished up, and leaned back inhis chair, waiting for Xavier to take his fill. It took a while,but soon he sat back with a contented sigh.
“Thank you,” Kaea saidsimply.
“For what, love. Feedingyou? That was my right and my privilege.”
Warmth spiked within him at thosewords. Kaea might demand that any man seeking to have arelationship with him treat him as an equal, but damn, it sure feltgood to have someone talk about him like that. Did that make him ahypocrite? Perhaps, but he wasn’t about to share that fact withanyone. At least, not yet.
“Although I do appreciatethat, I meant thank you for helping me last night.” Kaea winced.“And I’m sorry I shot you.”
Xavier shook his head before he’d evengot the full apology out. “You don’t have to thank me for helpingyou, Kaea. You mean a lot to me, and hopefully soon you will cometo understand what that means. And shooting me? Yeah, you did that,and it fucking hurt, so I’ll take that apology.”
Kaea grinned. “You were charging me atthe time, and I had just watched you end the lives of two bearsfoolish enough to try and take you on.”
Kaea expected Xavier to bluster hisway through, and keep up the bantering, so he wasn’t prepared forhis pain, so palpable he could almost feel it exploding in theroom. “Shit, Xavier, I’m sorry I—”
“No, it’s okay.” Xaviertook a deep breath. “It’s just those two from last night were loyalto my dad. Somehow Gray managed to turn them against him, againstme, and I have no fucking idea how he did it. Christ, Kaea, one ofthem was my fucking godfather!”
Kaea could no more stay away from himthan he could stop breathing. He moved to stand at his side, andwrapped him in his arms, pulling him tightly against his chest.Xavier sobbed silently, but Kaea could feel the telltale sign ofwet heat against his chest.
A few minutes later, Xavier tuggedKaea until he moved around to face him, and he didn’t stop untilKaea straddled his thighs. Then he leaned his forehead against his.“It has been a long time since anyone has comforted me.”
Kaea placed his hands on Xavier’sshoulders and relaxed against him. “Yeah, well it was a hardship,so don’t expect it again.”
Xavier smiled, just as Kaea had wantedhim to, and then he leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to Kaea’slips. It was warm, and gentle, and completely at odds with what heexpected from the Alpha. He pulled back and had the sweetest lookon his face. Kaea was pleased that some of the sadness had left hisexpression. As he watched, Xavier’s eyes darkened and his gazedropped to Kaea’s mouth and he—
Xavier’s arms tightened around him,and his mouth slammed against Kaea’s. Never before had he felt sothoroughly claimed. In the moments before he lost himself to thepassion and total dominance of Xavier’s kiss, Kaea thought hecaught the scent of lavender and vanilla in the air.
