Free Jarrett, AJ - Miles's Awakening [Warriors of the Light 1] (Siren Publishing Allure ManLove) by A.J. Jarrett Page A

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