Tamed (The Courtside King 1)

Definitely not time to conclude with the drinks.

Scott regarded him, then followed his gaze, his eyes locking on Breck. Stilling, he looked back at Kai. “Was that little stunt just now for him?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Scott laughed. “Uh huh. ‘Cause you bear hug me all the time.”

Kai’s lips twitched.

Scott eyed him, a small smile forming. “All right, spill. What’s going on with him? You’re throwing… vibes.”

Kai chuckled. Scott was funny, but there was nothing to tell. Shaking his head, he brought his drink to his lips. “Like I said, he’s an old student of mine. Just happens to be easy on the eyes. That’s all.”

“Ah.” Scott didn’t sound convinced.

Kai took a sip, then turned his attention back to Max and Sean on the dance floor. They were certainly getting their grind on. A second later, Breck joined the multitudes just a couple heads down.

Kai lifted a brow. Nice. Breck likes to dance.

But then he noticed who Breck had in tow. An exceptionally gorgeous platinum blond from that table of girls. Kai regarded her. Hair down to her ass. Big eyes. Long lashes. Glossy lips. An incredible body.

His chest squeezed.

He forced his gaze back to Max and Sean. Low and behold, Max was actually smiling. The two were having fun, both clearly enjoying the other’s company. And Sean was all Max saw. No question, Scott’s roommate was smitten. Which was great. Thing was, Max’s vibe didn’t fit the narrative Scott had painted. He’d made it sound like Sean was expendable. Just another gig to Max. But that was definitely not the impression Kai was getting.

Confused, he turned to Scott and gestured their way. “Max seems to like Sean around just fine. You really think he’s gonna cut him loose?”

Scott smiled a little and replied with something, but Kai couldn’t make out what he’d said. The group of guys to his left were talking too damn loud.

Kai leaned in. If he was going to take Scott’s proposition seriously, he wanted to know as much about the situation as he could. “Sean likes him a lot. It’s written all over his face.”

Scott responded just as one of the loudmouths guffawed. Kai eyed the guy, growing increasingly annoyed, then resolved to continue this conversation via lip reading.

“… flat-out head over heels,” Scott went on. “But Max is a moron. Ergo, the problem.”

“You think they make sense together? A good fit?”

Scott nodded. “I do. The perfect fit. Sean is exactly what Max needs.” Abruptly, he frowned, eyeing his roommate. “Ah, Fuck. What now? Damn it, Max. You dumbass.”

Kai followed his gaze to where Max was stalking back to the bar. Sean stared after him, still out on the dance floor and looking sad.

Scott shook his head and turned away.

Max joined them a second later.

“Welcome back, Magic Mike,” Kai drawled. “You takin’ a break?”

“Yeah. A fucking break,” he grunted. He hailed the nearest bartender.

A sandy blond slowed down on his drive by. “Another of each?”

Max nodded. The guy hustled off.

Kai sipped on his gin. “So, Sean seems nice.”

“Yeah…” Max tracked someone’s movements in the distance.

Sean’s, no doubt.

“I take it he’s one of your subs?” Best to pretend he didn’t know much. Although, he kind of didn’t. Just the couple of bits and pieces that Scott had shared.

“Yeah, I guess.” Max shrugged, then changed the subject. “So, Scott tells me you own a dojo.”

Dojo, dojang. Close enough. Certainly not worth the added effort to correct. “I do.”

“That’s cool.” Max nodded. “You teach martial arts?”

“Yup.” Kai took a swig of his gin. “Scott tells me you do a bit of teaching yourself.”

“Yeah. Over at Mason. The kids are great.”

Kai smiled. “They are. But you also teach at The District.”

“Yeah. I teach there, too. Although I mostly just monitor.” He paused and looked at Kai. “Wait. You go to The District?”

“Yeah, I do exhibits.”

“Really. What kind?”

“Shibari. Rope bondage.”

Max’s brows hiked. “No shit?”

Kai chuckled, nodding. “No shit.”

Scott turned back with another soda in his hand.

“Still drinking Coke?” Kai asked. “You’ve become quite the party animal in your old age.”

Scott laughed and gave a shrug. “Gotta feeling I’m gonna be driving sooner than—” He stopped, his gaze locking on Breck and company’s table. Brows furrowed, he scanned the vicinity, then the dance floor and bar, then finally, the different routes to get to the bathrooms. “I’ll be right back.”

Kai watched him disappear toward said restrooms, remerging again a heartbeat later. He looked uneasy. Kai frowned. What was he doing? Scott made his way to Breck’s table—not that Breck was there. He was still out dancing.

Hmm. But Tad wasn’t at the table, either.

And there was Kai’s answer. Scott had lost sight of Tad and was trying to find him. Should’ve known. He’d been stealing constant glances at the guy all night. Kai sipped his gin as Scott spoke to Tad’s buddies.