Kiss Me if You Can

"Funhep."

Josh let out a long, deep sigh. The roar of the crowd never seemed to stop. Wasn’t it about time everyone started heading home?

He checked his watch, realizing that it had only been two hours since they arrived at the party. And, most importantly, his shift wouldn’t end until Chase decided to leave.

Even so...

Josh sighed again, this time from deep within his chest. The garden was so large it was almost obscene. He wandered around it, thinking he might spend the whole night here. He couldn’t help but recall the daily patrols in Chase’s garden, but this one was even bigger.

"Why not just build a house in a national park?"

He muttered to himself as he moved along the path he had memorized in his mind. Fortunately, he hadn’t spotted anything particularly suspicious so far. A group of bodyguards were chatting in the distance, but as Josh moved away from them, he received a call from Henry over the radio.

[Everything’s alright?]

"Yeah, for now."

He answered briefly, and after a few more casual words, Henry hung up. The party seemed to be going smoothly. After a quick tour of the area, Josh figured he’d ask for some food to be prepared for a quick break. He would send food to Henry and Isaac, and then he and Mark would stay with Chase for security.

As he thought this, he noticed the shadow of someone crouched under a tree.

Instantly, Josh reached for his gun. His body tensed as he quickly assessed the situation. After a moment, he relaxed. The person didn’t seem to pose a threat. They hadn’t even noticed Josh’s presence and were instead leaning against the tree, breathing heavily.

Was he sick?

Josh remained on high alert but cautiously moved closer. With each step, his initial concern shifted to worry. The person looked far from normal. Their shallow breathing and hunched posture were clearly signs of distress.

Maybe he should call an ambulance?

Josh quickly ran through his options in his head. Was this person a guest? Or a staff member?

He moved right up to the person and stopped, but the man still didn’t seem to notice him. He appeared to be completely unconscious, leaning against the tree, just gasping for air. Without hesitation, Josh reached out.

"Hey, are you okay?"

As he spoke, Josh's hand rested on the man’s frail shoulder, and he felt a sudden shock. But what startled him even more was what happened next. The man slowly opened his eyes and looked up at Josh. His gaze was dazed, almost unconscious, and for a brief moment, Josh froze.

Through slightly parted lips, Josh caught a glimpse of a wet tongue. Was he... an Omega? Josh focused on trying to detect the scent, but he couldn’t smell anything. The man could have been using an inhibitor or, like Josh, could simply have a faint scent.

But pheromones didn’t matter here. Even if the man were a Beta, there were few who could turn down such a gaze.

The way the man looked at Josh... if Josh were into men, he would have jumped at the opportunity to take him to a bed without a second thought. Then again, there wouldn’t even be time to look for a bed. Josh thought. After all, humans didn’t need a bed to share their love.

Of course, that was only if the other person agreed.

"You look like you’re in bad shape. Should I call 911?"

Josh asked calmly. It wasn’t in his nature to get involved with others, but helping someone in such a condition was a different story. He couldn’t let the man stay here in his current state, or he’d worry about him all night.

Wait, is this guy a man?

Josh quickly scanned the man’s body. He was quite thin, but the rigid feel of his muscles and the angular, male frame confirmed he was indeed a man.

"...No, I’m okay... really."

The man spoke weakly as he regained some of his composure, and Josh confirmed once again that he was male. Unexpectedly, Josh felt both relief and a twinge of disappointment.

He cleared his throat awkwardly to shake off the strange feelings, helping the man to his feet and offering him some water. After drinking most of it, the man seemed a little better, though his voice remained weak. He managed to thank Josh, and finally, Josh felt a bit more at ease.

But that didn’t mean Josh was ready to leave him there. This man was like a deer that had run itself into exhaustion, ready to give up and let the hunter claim it.

Wait, deer?

Suddenly, Emma’s face flashed in his mind. This man looked so much like her type it was almost uncanny. Josh thought to himself that it was a good thing Emma hadn’t come to this party.

She would have made another bad choice if she had seen him.

Josh sighed again, relieved, as he continued talking with the man. As they conversed, the man seemed to recover more. He even suggested getting some food for the others, which worked out for Josh, so he decided to head back inside with him. At the very least, Josh wanted to get the man to a safer place indoors.

Before he could act on this, someone interrupted.

"What are you doing here?"

The cold voice came from behind him. Josh turned, only to see a tall man with violet eyes staring at them. To his surprise, it was none other than Keith Knight Pittman.

The man Josh had been helping muttered in surprise.

"Pittman?"

Josh looked between them, his mind instantly flooded with questions.

He’d guessed the man was staff, but was he Pittman’s personal assistant? What was he doing here? Had something gone wrong at the party?

Josh quickly glanced at the pale-faced man in front of him.

He still seemed unwell. Should he tell him?@@novelbin@@

But the man was an adult, and it wasn’t his place to meddle. The crisis seemed to have passed, and Josh had done his part. The man seemed to be thinking the same thing, as he spoke up first.

"Thanks for helping, but you’re probably busy... I’ll be fine now."

He was signaling that Josh should leave, and Josh accepted the hint, albeit reluctantly.

"Yeah... take care of yourself."

Josh was about to leave, but then it hit him that he had never exchanged names with the man. Stopping, he turned back.

The man smiled and said, "Yunwoo. Yunwoo Seo."

"I’m Joshua, but everyone calls me Josh. Nice to meet you, Yunwoo."

Josh gave a casual greeting, then added a brief nod to Pittman, who, unsurprisingly, ignored him.

There was an unusual tension between the two, but Josh didn’t care about it. His concern shifted back to his colleagues. He had to head to the kitchen to make sure sandwiches were ready, or at least check if they had already been prepared. He could already tell that Henry, who had a short temper, would be getting very upset. Hungry Henry was always a force to be reckoned with.

He was just about to head off when he froze.

"...Huh?"

A surprised exclamation escaped Josh before he quickly closed his mouth and backed away.

A man, unexpected and out of place, was standing a few steps away, smoking a cigarette.

It was Chase.