Paul slept with his mouth gaped open. He would be embarrassed tomorrow, if he remembered the events of this evening at all. I didn't take anything he'd said too seriously. People said weird things sometimes when they were drunk. Thankfully, Kansas didn't seem to be the type to bring up what Paul had done, either.
Though I wasn't really sure what type Kansas was at this point. Downstairs, he'd been all easy charm and casual flirts. That had been fun and nice, but also like he was playing a part. The way he was up here—less sure, fidgety, serious—that seemed to be more the real him.
Now I just had to figure out why I cared so much. He was supposed to be a one-night thing, my means for not dwelling on my current life woes, but his release was fresh on my tongue, and all I wanted was more.
He waited for me at the top of the stairs. He kept his head turned, looking down the dark corridor. His shoulders were stiff. After that release, he should have been boneless and floppy.
I went to him, cupping his chin with a firm grip, angling his face before kissing his lips. He let me move him how I wanted, but mentally, he looked checked out. "Kansas? Are you okay?" Had the orgasm been too good? My chest puffed with the thought.
He licked his lips and fluttered his eyelashes. When he looked at me again, he smiled. "Yes, I'm fine. How's Paul?"
"Snoring. I'll bring him a bottle of water when he wakes up. You sure you're okay?"
I didn't know which part of how he acted that I didn't trust, but my intuition told me there was something Kansas was keeping to himself. I'd figure out what it was; I just needed some time. "Kansas, I—" My mouth stretched open, and a yawn escaped out of me, though I hadn't felt especially tired until that moment. I shook my head after and tried again. "Kansas…" The wall loomed very close very quickly, and I threw my hands out to catch myself. Kansas was there with his hands wrapped around my elbow. "Sorry, I don't know what that was," I mumbled, shaking my head again.
Kansas kept his fingers tight over my forearm. I liked the way his hands felt on my skin. "You were working really hard back there. Maybe you just need to sit down."
No, I hadn't become overexerted from a blowjob, but I liked Kansas touching me enough to nod and follow him back down the stairs. The crowd had already disappeared. It wasn't the weekend, and people didn't normally stay out late during the week. The bulk of my clientele were hardworking men and women looking for a quick chat and a pint after work.
Jasper was alone in the sparkling clean lounge. He spotted me and stopped, hoisting the large plastic bin he used to bus the tables on his hip. "How's Paul?"
I waved his anxiety away. Yes, he'd served an underage customer, but I could also see how what I'd said would be confusing. As a shifter, Paul could legally drink on pack lands since he was eighteen, and he was twenty now. Jasper had been doing what he thought I'd asked him to do, and I was confident he wouldn't make the same mistake again. "He'll sleep it off. Any trouble down here?"
Jasper shook his head. His jet-black hair bounced with each turn. "Regular night. I don't expect we'll get a second push."
I knew what that meant. He'd made the majority of his tip money. The rest of the night would just be staring at the clock. I covered another yawn. I was exhausted but not at all tipsy. Thanks to my shifter metabolism, I had to keep drinking to stay buzzed, and having Kansas's dick in my mouth had sobered me right up. "Why don't you head out? I can lock and clean up here. It's only a few hours until close anyway." I'd spend that time really putting the moves on Kansas so that when we closed, there would be no hesitation, no head full of thoughts other than carnal ones.
Jasper dropped the bin he'd been balancing on his hip. It was empty anyway. "Sounds good, boss. See you Friday."
During this exchange, Kansas waited quietly. I didn't get the sense that he was wanting to go, but I did get the idea he was waiting for something. For us to be alone?
Maybe he was still turned on and already wanted round two. That was fine. Anticipation was great, but immediate gratification was better. I was ready to taste his skin under my tongue again too.
Jasper took a few minutes to gather his things and collect his tips. I always felt better when my employees could leave with their pockets thicker than when they'd come. Especially when that employee was as reliable as Jasper. "Enjoy your night," he called over his shoulder.
"You too," I called back, turning to Kansas once the door closed behind Jasper.
It was just us standing a foot and a half from each other. The room heated up. The air between us felt charged. I'd had a taste of him, expecting that to curb the need for a moment, but what we'd done in the office had only increased my desire. I swallowed the next yawn before it could rise up my throat. What the hell was wrong with me?
No matter. Making sweet love to Kansas's body would wake me up. I reached for him, stumbled.
Kansas stood just outside of my outstretched fingers, but he looked different. He wasn't smiling; he wasn't shooting me coy glances. He looked sad.
I frowned, wanting to hug the sadness away. My eyelids felt so heavy. Had I gotten up early that day? I couldn't think of any other reason for why I'd be so tired all of a sudden. "Sorry, I…"
"You're feeling tired?" Kansas asked.
That hadn't been what I'd been about to say, but it was the truth. I wasn't just tired, but exhausted. Kansas's frown deepened, and my senses zeroed in on that small movement. He was responsible. I didn't know how or why, but Kansas was responsible for my sudden exhaustion. "What did you…?" I never got to finish asking my question.
***
"Wyatt! Wyatt, wake up!" Paul's voice yanked me from sleep, and I wrenched my eyes open. "Fuck! I was worried. Are you okay?"
I groaned and grabbed my head. It felt fuzzy. Paul was worried? About who? What?
Oh yeah.
I searched the lounge, but it was just me and Paul. "Where's Kansas?" I pushed off the booth I was laying on. Sunlight poured in through the windows. What time was it? How did I get to the booth? I was almost seven feet of solid muscle; it should have taken two Kansases to lift me.
"There's no one here. I just woke up and found you passed out. The door was locked. But it's just us here. I searched."
Kansas was gone. Kansas had locked up? I reached through the static buzzing my brain to earlier. Kansas had seemed so normal. The night had progressed as it would have if he'd been any other person I'd picked for the night. Except for the part where I woke up having no memory of how I'd fallen asleep. Or where Kansas would have gone.
Had he been playing me from the start? My chest twisted when I pictured Kansas toying with me. I'd played right into his hands. I'd given him a blowjob! And he'd…
What had he done?
"Is anything gone? I remember that man here before I…" Passed out? That didn't feel right. I'd been hit suddenly by a wave of tiredness. He must have drugged me. "That guy, Kansas, was here and that's the last I remember." I squinted at the shelves of liquor, but there didn't seem to be any large gaps. Even the top shelf bottles were all still there. I stumbled to the cash register. There was always a couple hundred in the till. The tray flung out with a loud ding, revealing a full money tray. He hadn't taken the till?