Page 26

Listen, if you carry on with that shit, I’m leaving. You are not biting him.

His animal pushed for their shift and Kodi baulked and stopped in the middle of the bright, cosy living space. His fingernails dug into his palms at the effort to resist.

I can’t talk if you force our shift on me!

Then fix this issue between us. I can smell he’s going into his heat and if anyone comes near Lennon, I will tear their hands off.

Kodi couldn’t say the aggression was all his animal when he didn’t like the idea that Lennon could have a boyfriend who was going to turn up any minute to…

He couldn’t go there. He ran shaky hands through his hair. The last three days were hell, and it wasn’t totally to do with the lack of spanking he craved so badly. They had developed an easy comradery that had been missing since he had fucked up. Lennon was cool and guarded with him and he hated it.

The one attempt he’d made to breach the barrier on Tuesday had been met with cool indifference when he hadn’t found his way to apologizing. It had never been easy for him to admit he was wrong. Kodi had managed to find out that Isley, Wilder, and Ziggy had spent Sunday with Lennon and stayed the night. There had been no date. He owed Lennon an apology for that.

The crux of the matter was that it did not mean Lennon was single, and it continued to rub like sand against a wound, reminding him all the time that it was there.

So here he was, desperate and running out of time, knowing Lennon would kick his ass out after his five minutes. He stomped to the open door and walked into a bright kitchen that matched the personality of the man putting ice cubes into a glass.

“Talk. You’re running out of time.”

The strained voice gave Kodi a belly full of guilty rocks, his hands back to running through his hair as he stared at Lennon’s stiff posture.

“I’m sorry. I overstepped and had no right to ask those personal questions.” He released a shuddery breath and licked his lips, gearing up for the next part when Lennon filled his glass with water. “Do you have a boyfriend?”

Alright that accusatory tone was maybe not the best way to ask. Lennon spun around fast enough to splash water onto the floor between them, the tap left running in the sink.

He didn’t seem to notice, his eyes narrowing to slits. “What if I do?”

That wasn’t an answer, was it?

“Do you?” Kodi persisted, needing an answer to stop the tap dancer leading his pulse.

Lennon brought the drink to his lips, the ice clinking in the glass. Their heavy breathing didn’t mask the sound of water hitting the sink while Lennon drained the glass. When he lowered it and slowly licked the few drops remaining on his lips, Kodi couldn’t look away from those plump, slick lips. The heavy musk scent coming from Lennon was doing a number on his libido.

“No.”

It took a second to register the response, his eyes meeting Lennon’s. “You don’t!”

“Didn’t I just say that? If that’s all you wanted to say—”

“No.” He scratched at his forehead, finding it damp. “Give me a damn minute, I’m not used to this, okay?” He didn’t want to snap, only he couldn’t seem to stop himself with the tension riding him harder than a cowboy on a bucking bronco.

Lennon moved and turned off the tap, then leaned back against the counter, shaking the glass, the remaining ice clinking in the bottom, indicating for him to continue. His lips formed into a tight line, and his eyes were wary.

Kodi spun around, then spun back with there being barely any room to have a good stomp. He flung up his arms in defeat. “Could you spank me first?”

Narrow-eyed suspicion was there as Lennon took a step towards him. “Are you just angling to get what you want? Play me for a fool? Say you’re gonna talk then get what you want and run?”

There was more to untangle in his meaning, except Kodi wasn’t in a frame of mind with his wild thoughts to know where to start. “No.” He tugged on his hair, the bit of pain doing little to get his thoughts to behave. “I just need… fuck, I just need you to help me,” he said truthfully.

Lennon carefully placed the glass in the sink and walked past Kodi, making sure not to touch him.

“Come with me,” he murmured.

He walked through his living space and through a door next to the front door. Kodi followed wordlessly, his cock hardening but not from what could happen. It was from the smell Lennon was excreting. It was potent. Kodi had never been with anyone going through a heat. The closest he’d come to smelling an omega heat was Frey and Popi, and neither scent had caused this desire to push his nose into all the places the smell was coming from and rub against it.

He blew out a breath while stepping into what turned out to be Lennon’s bedroom. It wasn’t big. A queen-sized bed with cream and brown bedding and a mountain of pillows took up most of the room. It was positioned to look at glass sliding doors that had a view of the city. On one side of the bed were two doors that he suspected led into a bathroom and a closet. On the other side sat a tiny cream table, covered in paintings of spring flowers. An old-fashioned brass lamp with a colorful glass shade sat on top with a book next to it. There was a chair that looked well used tucked into the corner by the window and nothing else in the room. It was cosy, like the living room, and its simplicity suited the silent man.

Lennon bent and reached under the bed, sliding out a box on the cream speckled carpet. He lifted the lid and inside were several paddles and some interesting sex toys he didn’t get a chance to get a good look at when Lennon removed the black paddle they often used and placed the lid back on the box, shoving it back under the bed.