Chapter Three

Jonah

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“Son of a bitch.” I jumped as hot coffee spilled out from under the lid of my takeaway cup, and splashed onto my hand. As the liquid sloshed around in the cup, even more came spurting out of the ill-fitting and ill-placed lid. This time it hit my wrist, sliding under the sleeve of my shirt as it burned a trail on my skin. "Oh for fuck's sake!"

"You okay?" Josh, one of the other counselors at Open Arms, asked with a grin as he watched me toss the full cup into the sink.

"Yeah, awesome. Can you hand me a towel?"

Still grinning Josh picked up one of the small towels on the counter of the break room and tossed it to me.

"Nice catch," he commented as I snatched the cloth out of the air, about three feet in front of me and nearly at my knees.

"Thanks. Shitty throw." I pressed the towel against my wrist and checked my sleeve to see if the coffee had stained the light cotton of my shirt. It had. There was a dark brown stain starting at the cuff that snaked up towards my elbow. "Perfect."

"Hey, I played soccer, not baseball." Josh grinned. "And the towel was weighted funny."

"Weighted funny?" I chuckled and tossed the towel into the bin with the other used ones. "It's a towel, it weighs nothing."

"Yeah, well...shut up."

I laughed and went to the sink to dump out the rest of the coffee, and toss the cup in the garbage.

“So other than having coffee issues, how’re you settling in?” Josh asked, leaning against the counter.

I’d only been at Open Arms for about three weeks, and I was really enjoying the work. The environment was open and friendly, and the kids were incredible. It was exactly what I’d wanted to do when I’d finished my masters in psychology.

“Good. Apparently coffee is not my friend, but everything’s good.”

Josh laughed and shook his head.

We were two of the five counselors at Open Arms, and we all worked with different groups of kids. Josh was transgender and worked with those who were struggling to either come to terms with their dysphoria, or were in the process of transitioning.

My background was in physical abuse and PTSD, and I worked with kids who’d come from abusive homes or situations, and tried to help them come to terms with their trauma and move toward peace. There was also a counselor who helped kids who’d dealt with sexual abuse or assault, one who saw the cases that didn’t fall into our specialities, and a psychiatrist who oversaw our rehab program.

It was incredibly rewarding work, but it was emotionally draining at the same time.

“I’m heading out. Natasha should be by to relieve you around eleven.” Josh glanced at his watch.

“Have a good one.”

Josh nodded and headed out of the break room.

It was my night to stick around for any walk-ins who might need to talk to someone right away, and to supervise the kids who were staying at the shelter until the night worker came in.

Natasha was a wonderful woman. Her son had committed suicide almost ten years ago at the age of fourteen after being bullied for being gay, and ever since his death she’d worked outreach in the community. She was warm and kind and the kids loved her, and she loved them.

Giving up on coffee, I made my way out to the lounge to see what everyone was up to.

We didn’t have a full house at the moment. The shelter could house up to twenty kids full time, and another fifteen for short-term situations. At the moment we had sixteen youths living with us, but about twenty to thirty kids would drop in every night to hang out in a safe place.

Because it was still early there were only a handful of kids in the main room, so I went to the front desk to get some paperwork organized.

As I was searching for some stamps I heard the main door chime, and glanced up to greet whoever had come in.

When my eyes fell on the man who walked in, my jaw almost dropped.

He was beautiful, there was no other way to describe him. His lithe body looked sinewy and strong, and his blond hair fell into one of his eyes in a casually enticing way. His lips were full and a little pouty, and his eyes were the brightest shade of blue I’d ever seen.

He also looked young. I couldn’t place his age, but I’d guess he was still in his late teens, and that was way too fucking young for me to be drooling over.

Ignoring how tight my pants had become in the crotch area I cleared my throat and stood up a little taller.

“Hi, welcome to Open Arms.”

“Hi.” The boy/man gave me a bemused smile.

“Did you need someone to talk to? Or I could give you a tour and tell you about the services we offer.”

“You’re new,” he stated instead of asking.

“Relatively.” I nodded.

“I’m Cody, I’m a volunteer.”

“Oh, sorry. I haven’t seen you before and I assumed...” I felt my face flush as he gave me a shy smile.

“I look younger than I am.”

“How old are you?” I couldn’t help asking.

“Twenty-one. I’m actually one of the shelter’s success stories.”

Twenty-one was still young, but with only ten years between us I didn’t feel like a creeper for checking him out. “You spent some time here?” I put the papers I was holding back on the desk.

“Almost a year.”

“Well, it’s great to meet you.”

“I never got your name.”

“Oh, right. I’m Jonah.” I came around the desk and stopped in front of him, my hand out.

I saw the way he glanced at my hand, how his body tensed up for a moment before he was able to grip it for a quick shake.

“Is there anything in particular you do when you come here?” I asked, nodding for him to follow me into the main room.

“Just hang out. Sometimes I talk to new kids, to tell them what to expect.”

“We don’t have any new kids right now, and not a lot have come by tonight.”

“Oh, well that’s good then. Means they don’t need to escape.”

“True.”

As we spoke I noticed how Cody had a hard time looking me in the eyes, and he instinctively walked half a pace behind me.

By his behavior I’d say he’d suffered some sort of abuse in the past, and while the counselor in me wanted to help him, the man in me wanted to get to know him better.

“Did you want a drink? I was going to make some coffee,” I offered quickly.

“Sure, thanks.”

He followed me to the break room and I set to making some coffee. I noticed that Cody kept sneaking glances at me but seemed to be at a loss of what to say.

“So, what do you do when you’re not volunteering?” I asked, leaning against the counter as the machine warmed up.

“Not a lot.” He grinned shyly. “Hang out, play video games. Work.”

“What do you do?”

“I’m a bartender.”

“Really? Where?”

“The Den.”

“Oh, then you must know Evan.”

“Considering he’s my boss and gave me the job through the work program here? Yeah, I know Evan.” Cody’s eyes were almost sparkling with laughter and I shook my head, chuckling to myself.

“True. That should have been obvious. I guess it would be pointless to mention Blaze.”

“Yeah, I know him too. But how to do you know him?”

“He and his boyfriend come in from time to time offering legal advice to some of the older kids who need it.”

“Really?” Cody looked surprised.

“Yeah, he was in last week. I’ve actually been meaning to take him up on his offer to come by the bar for a drink.”

“You have?” Cody swallowed nervously and then looked at the coffee machine. “I think the coffee is ready.”

“He mentioned something about Saturday night.” I turned and put coffee on before looking at Cody carefully.

“This Saturday?”

“Yeah. He’s working but said I should swing by.”

“Saturday’s a good night. Not usually crazy busy but still lots going on.”

“Do you work on Saturday?” I asked, trying not to get my hopes up.

“Um, yeah. Same shift as Blaze.”

“Maybe I’ll see you too, then.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

“Are you okay?” I asked after a pause.

Cody looked uncomfortable. He kept glancing around, almost as though he wasn’t able to look at me, and his face was flushed.

“I’m sorry if I’m being too forward—”

“It’s not you.” He shook his head, finally looking at me.

“If something I said made you uncomfortable—”

“No, it’s not like that. It’s just that...”

“Just what?”

“Promise you won’t try to shrink me if I tell you something?”

“Shrink you?” I bit back a smile.

“Yeah. You’re a counselor, but I’m not telling you this as some whack job you need to fix—”

“Hey, Cody,” I interrupted before he could say anything else negative about himself. “I promise not to shrink you.”

“I have a hard time knowing if someone is flirting with me or just being friendly.” He blushed scarlet but held my gaze.

“I was flirting with you. I’m sorry if it came across as inappropriate or too strong—”

“No, it’s not that.” He shook his head. “I’m just not good at this.”

“At what?”

“Interacting with people,” he snorted. “I don’t want to lead you on or make you think that I’m some sort of cock tease—”

“It was just a little flirting.” I smiled, hoping to help him calm down even as his words were setting alarms off in my head. “You can flirt back or tell me to fuck off, it’s up to you. It’s harmless, okay?”

“Okay.”

“So, now that I’ve made things completely awkward, how about some coffee and we’ll talk— no shrinking, I promise.”

“I’d like that.”

As I poured out two cups of coffee I was more than a little intrigued by Cody, but seeing how skittish he was I’d have to keep the flirting at zero. Something had happened to him, that much was obvious, but I would keep my word and not try to fix it.

If Cody wanted help he’d ask. It wasn’t my place to assume he was broken.

* * * * *

“Fuck,” I moaned as I gripped my cock, sliding my hand up and down the hard shaft as I tugged my balls away from my body with my other hand, desperately trying to delay my orgasm.

Cody and I had talked for almost two hours, and I felt a pull toward him I couldn’t explain. We’d talked about everything and nothing, and the more he opened up the more enamored I’d become.

It was stupid to even let myself be attracted to him. Cody had made it clear he wasn’t looking for anything more than friendship, but I couldn’t help it. Even as I’d been driving home, my dick aching from being hard for the better part of two hours, I couldn’t get Cody out of my mind.

I’d managed to get home, get something to eat and then hop in the shower, but the moment the warm water had hit my body, I’d pictured Cody kneeling on the floor with his lips wrapped around my cock and his beautiful blue eyes staring up at me.

“Fuck, oh god.” I squeezed my eyes closed as my hand moved faster over my shaft. I usually had decent staying power, and could delay my orgasm to prolong the pleasure. The thought of Cody sucking me off had me hurtling toward my release with no chance of stopping it.

Six strokes later and my body gave in to the building pressure that had been gathering in my abdomen. My legs locked and cramped a bit as a pulse shot up my spine, and I was done.

Crying out I slammed one hand against the tiles, desperately trying to keep upright as I fucked my fist over and over again, making sure to ride the waves of pleasure as long as I could as I pictured Cody swallowing me down.

When my orgasm had finally passed I pulled in a few deep breaths and let go of my softening dick. That had been one of the strongest releases I’d had in a long time, and it had been to a fantasy starring a guy who’d told me he wasn’t interested.

Just fucking perfect.

* * * * *

When I walked through the doors to The Den at nine o’clock on Saturday night, I was pleasantly surprised.

Blaze had told me it was a low-key type of bar where they offered drinks and light fare, but no meals. It was well lit, nicely furnished and the crowd was relatively quiet. It reminded me of the bar I used to go to while I’d been studying for my masters.

Every Sunday afternoon I’d take a break from studying and work and head up to the Bard and Banker, and sit in a quiet booth having a few pints. That place had been a sanctuary of sorts, and it had the same feel as The Den.

I saw Blaze and Cody behind the bar, serving up drinks and laughing with the customers, and stepped to the side to watch them for a moment.

I noticed how Cody didn’t seem at all nervous around Blaze, and he was able to move around him. At one point he even put his hands on Blaze’s hips to keep him still while he stepped behind him to grab something. It was nice to see him so open and relaxed.

I saw Cody bend over the bar a bit to talk to one of the patrons, and when I saw the young man whose ear he was talking in, my stomach flipped.

He was gorgeous. Where Cody was slender and fair, this man was lean and dark. His thick, dark brown hair was stylishly short but still long enough to grab a handful of, and his dark eyes sparkled. His cheeks were flushed, softening his youthful ruggedness, and his lips were full and slightly red.

Seeing the two of them together, talking in each other’s ear, was short circuiting my brain, and for some reason I was picturing them kissing.

In my mind’s eye the dark haired man was the dominant one, holding Cody’s head still as he feasted on those pouty and kissable lips. I could almost hear them moaning in tandem, and my cock instantly went rock hard.

What the fuck was wrong with me? Just last night I’d jerked off to a fantasy of Cody sucking me off, and now I was getting the stiffy of a lifetime picturing him and some random hottie kissing?

Before I could try and figure out where that had come from, Blaze looked up and saw me.

“Jonah!” he greeted with a smile, waving me over. “You made it.”

“I did. Nice place.” I stopped in front of him and glanced around. Cody had noticed me and was standing stock still, and the guy he’d been talking to was looking me up and down with fire in his eyes.

“We like it.” Blaze looked between me and Cody, then back at me. “You know Cody?”

“We met at Open Arms the other day.” I nodded. “Hi, Cody.”

“Hi.” He gave me a shaky smile. “How are you?”

“Good. I was just telling Blaze how nice it is in here.”

“Yeah. It’s pretty great.”

“Shit.”

I glanced over at Blaze and saw he was looking at his phone.

“Problem?” I asked.

“I missed a call.” He shook his head and glanced at Cody. “Can you cover for a few?”

“Go ahead.” He nodded.

As Blaze squeezed past him he patted Cody on the small of his back, and I again noticed how Cody didn’t even flinch. He and Blaze must be close.

“So, busy tonight?” I asked, sliding over to where Cody and the dark haired man were standing.

“It comes and goes. Um, Jonah, this is my friend Isaac.” Cody nodded to the dark haired man. “Isaac, Jonah.”

“It’s nice to meet you.” I slid my gaze to Isaac and flushed when I saw the look he was giving me.

“You too.” He held out his hand and I shook it, trying to ignore the pulse of electricity that shot through my palm and went straight down my spine.

I was about to turn to include Cody in the conversation when someone at the other end of the bar waved to get his attention.

“So, you know Cody from...?” Isaac prompted, taking a drink of his beer.

My eyes were drawn to his throat and I watched his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed.

“I met him at Open Arms a few days ago.”

“You work there?”

“I’m a counselor.”

“That’s awesome. I’m really glad that place exists. I don’t think Blaze or Cody would be alive today if it wasn’t for Open Arms.”

“I know that would be true for a lot of kids.” I nodded, glancing down to where Cody was busy filling glasses.

I knew some of Blaze’s story, and wondered what Cody had been through to make him so gun shy.

“Where do you know Cody from?” I asked, looking at Isaac again.

“We met here about a year ago. My brother and I came in to celebrate our birthday and Cody was our busboy.” He grinned and finished his drink. “We started talking and hanging out, and yeah. Now we’re best friends.”

“You and your brother have birthdays close to each other?”

“One day apart.”

“Talk about timing. Is he older or younger?”

“Younger, by about six minutes.”

“What?”

Isaac chuckled.

“Twins born on different days?” I asked.

“Yup. I was born at 11:58 and he was born at 12:04.”

“Wow, I bet that doesn’t happen a lot.”

“Not that I know of.”

“Fraternal or identical?”

“Identical. Apparently our grandmother used to paint my big toe nail red when we were babies so she wouldn’t mix us up.”

I laughed and casually leaned against the bar.

“Ever wonder if you’re actually not you?”

“All the fucking time.” He laughed. “I figure there’s a 50/50 chance I’ve been going by the wrong name since I learned how to talk.”

“What’s your brother’s name?”

“Noah.”

“Are you guys close?”

“As close as can be. You have any siblings?”

“Ten of them.”

“What?” Isaac almost choked on his beer. “You’re one of eleven kids?”

“My parents divorced when I was eight. There were three of us, then my dad and stepmom had two, and my stepmom had two from her first marriage. My mom and stepdad had two, and he has two from a previous marriage. So two siblings, four half siblings and four step siblings.”

“Holy fuck. That’s crazy. Are you close with them?”

“Very. I’m the only one who left, so they’re all back home.”

“Where’s home?”

“Flagstaff, Arizona.”

“You miss them?”

“I do, but I like it here. I’ll try to get back as often as possible, but this is where I want to be.”

Isaac grinned, catching my double meaning as he took another pull off his beer.

“What about your parents?”

“Yeah...my story is a bit different.”

“Oh, sorry—”

“No, it’s fine. My parents aren’t really part of my life.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It is what it is.” He shrugged.

“So what do you do?”

“I work in construction.”

“I’m guessing you don’t need to hit the gym to keep fit, then.”

“A perk of hard labor.” He looked me up and down, his eyes darkening slightly. “You definitely look like you hit the gym.”

I felt a rush of adrenaline go through me as he let his eyes linger on my ass. Desire ran through my veins and my already hard cock twitched.

“I do what I can.”

Just then Cody came back to where we were standing, glancing between us with a slightly confused look on his face.

I hoped I wasn’t putting him on the spot by flirting with his friend. Did he have feelings for Isaac and that’s why he’d been so awkward when I’d flirted with him the other day?

Isaac turned so he was looking at both Cody and I, and nodded to me.

“Buy you a drink?”

“Thanks. Gin and tonic?” I ordered as I looked at Cody.

“Coming up.”

“Not a beer man?”

“I had an unfortunate incident with beer when I was in college. Haven’t been able to drink beer out of a cup or out of a bottle I didn’t open myself ever since.” I shook my head.

“What happened? Did you get alcohol poisoning or something?”

“Nothing serious like that. Let’s just say someone played a prank where they added a little something extra to a cup of beer, and I was the unlucky one who picked it up.”

“What did they put in it, or do I not want to know?”

“You might not want to know while you’re drinking that.” I nodded to the beer Isaac had almost finished.

“Now my mind is going through all the grossest things someone can add to a beer. Awesome.” He shot back what was left in his glass and shook his head, grimacing as he swallowed. “And I’m done with beer for tonight.”

“Sorry, didn’t mean to ruin your drink. Can I buy you another to make up for it?”

“You can.” He grinned and looked at Cody as he put my drink in front of me.

“Whiskey and cola?” Cody asked with a smile.

“Whiskey and cola.” Isaac nodded.

I waited until Cody had given Isaac his drink and then held up my glass.

“Cheers.”

“Cheers.” He clinked our glasses together and took a sip, his eyes on mine the whole time.

I didn’t know what it was about Isaac, but I was drawn to him in a way I wasn’t used to.

I was no stranger to attraction and I did okay when it came to picking up, but between what I felt for Cody and now what I was feeling for Isaac, I was confused as fuck.

If it were any other situation I would have continued to flirt with Isaac, then maybe see if he wanted to leave with me, but Cody complicated things.

It was obvious there was something going on between the two of them, and while Isaac was sending all the right signals, I didn’t feel right going for it if it would hurt Cody.

Again, I had no idea why the fuck I was thinking like this. I’d met Cody once, and it had been pretty obvious that he wasn’t looking for anything from me. I didn’t know why I was feeling such loyalty for him, but it was right there in the forefront of my mind.

Blaze came back while I was still figuring out what to do and he looked flustered.

“Everything okay?” Cody asked.

“I think so. Galen’s office was broken into.”

“What?”

“He just finished up with the police. It happened about an hour after they closed down.”

“Did he say if they were after his files?” I asked quickly.

“That’s exactly what they were after.” Blaze nodded, biting his lip. “He’s freaked out.”

“What would be so interesting about his files?” Isaac asked.

“Galen does family law, so he’d have personal and sensitive information about his clients,” I answered.

“Yeah, and he deals with a lot of abuse cases. He’s worried someone was after information about one of his clients who might be hiding from an abuser.”

“Shit. That’s bad.” Cody looked between us. “Does he know who?”

Blaze shook his head. “He’s sorting through his files and records now to try and figure it out.”

“Wow. That’s fucked up.” Isaac took a sip of his drink.

“Do you need to go? Zander can probably cover for you,” Cody asked.

“Zander can probably cover for what now?”

I heard the deep voice on my left and turned to see who had spoken. The man was gorgeous, there was no question. With his tall, strong body, powerful thighs and corded arms, he was built, but he also had the most incredible gray eyes I’d ever seen. His features were rugged and perfect, and his dark hair shone in the dim light.

As hot as he was I didn’t feel anything more than appreciation for him. He didn’t stir my lust like Cody, and now Isaac, did.

It was strange. Zander was my type to a tee, even down to the light eyes/brown hair combination. He looked to be around my age, and he exuded sensuality and confidence. But there was something missing.

“Galen’s office was broken into. He’s kind of freaking out.” Blaze glanced at Zander.

“Go. I’ve got you.” Zander nodded.

“Thanks, man.” Blaze grabbed his bag from under the bar and shouldered it. “I’ll see you guys later.”

We all waved our goodbyes, and when Blaze was out the door Zander turned to Cody.

“Think you can cover the bar while I do a cleanup, and then check the kitchen for the late night menu prep?”

“I’m good.” Cody nodded.

Zander nodded and gave me a quick look before pushing away from the bar and heading into the dining area.

A sudden ruckus near the door had all three of us turning to the entrance and we watched as a large group came in.

“And my night just got busier,” Cody mused.

“Oh yeah, you’re about to get swamped.” Isaac pulled some cash out of his pocket and slid it over the bar to Cody.

Cody glanced at the bills and opened his mouth but Isaac just shook his head, cutting him off.

“I should probably head out too.” I started to reach for my wallet, but Cody spoke up before I could pull it out.

“You’re covered.”

“I thought I was buying you a drink?” I looked at Isaac, who was grinning slyly.

“You were, but I figured I’d cash it in for a ride instead.”

“That sounds like a fair trade. But how do you know I have a car?”

“Because the keys are in your pocket.”

I glanced down and saw that half of my key fob was sticking out of my pocket.

“Good eye.” I grinned. “I accept the trade.”

Isaac slid off his stool and waited for me to stand. “Call me tomorrow?” He looked back at Cody.

“Will do. Have a good night.”

I watched Cody closely, trying to see if he was hurt or angry at the turn of events, but there was something entirely different in his eyes.

He looked aroused.

Well, that was probably the last thing that I would have expected, but it was interesting.

“Shall we?” Isaac nodded to the door.

I nodded. “I’ll see you later, Cody,” I said, giving Cody one last look.

“Later.” Cody’s voice was strong and a little raspy.

I tore my attention off him and put it back on Isaac. He gave me a smile that set my nerve endings on fire, and fell into step with me as we left the bar.

My night just got a whole lot more interesting.