Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 5

excellent teacher."
    "It'll be fun, Cade," Warren said. "Just four guys, talking, having a few drinks. Bonding time. Nice for a father and son to have time for that."
    "Guys, don't pressure him," Aiden finally said. "It's his vacation, and he's only here for a week." He squeezed Cade's hand. "Golf isn't important."
    And then, of course, Mr. St. John came in, carrying a bag of golf clubs. "Good, you're up! You guys heard the plan? Ready to hit the links?"
    "We're going to skip it," Aiden started, but Cade interrupted.
    "No, I can try. I mean, I won't be any good. But I'll try." He'd try anything, for Aiden.
    "Excellent," Warren said, and his smile was slow and reptilian. "I'll call and get us a tee time. You boys eat something." As he walked by, he gripped Cade's shoulder, a touch that would have been casual if the fingers hadn't been so tight. He'd wanted this game. He'd wanted to spend time with Cade. Damn it. There was too much going on here, and Cade didn't want to be a part of any of it.
    CHAPTER THREE
    Mr. St. John ("Andrew, son, really. Aiden's friends have always called us by our first names") drove. Warren had been offered the front seat, but insisted that Aiden take it so that the father and son could have more time together. Which left him in the back with Cade, and it shouldn't have been a problem, because it was a big SUV, with plenty of leg room. There was no reason for Warren to stretch out like he was, his arm draped along the back of the seat so his hand rested just behind Cade's shoulder, his legs spread wide, one foot actually in Cade's footwell. The man looked like a mix between a spider and a pretzel, and there was no damned way it could be comfortable. No way it could be accidental, either.
    Cade did not need this. He could have handled the week, even with the party and the hostile mother and the vague, low-grade anxiety that beset him whenever he was in an unfamiliar place. Hell, he could have handled the golf, with his borrowed clothes and total ineptness. But Warren was going to push him over the edge, and he really had no idea what to do about it.
    Things got a bit better when they arrived at the golf course. There was more touching, Warren being jocular and physical with Cade, but at least there was room to move. Too much room, maybe, as Cade rounded the back of the SUV and found Warren waiting for him. The man eased in close and said, "Anytime you want, you let me know, and I'll teach you how to swing."
    The accompanying leer made the double entendre far too clear. Cade had a brief, beautiful mental flash of himself grabbing a golf club and beating the son-of-a-bitch into a bloody pulp, but he got that impulse under control and resolved to just stick as close as possible to Aiden.
    They made it through the game. Cade couldn't have said what the scores were, although he was pretty sure his was miserable, or even who won. When the beverage cart had come around, the older men had laughed when Cade chose a Coke, but Aiden had just smiled at him.
    "Guess we've got a designated driver," Warren had said, and he'd bought a round for the rest at every opportunity.
    By the time they headed for the parking lot, the other three were relaxed and silly, and Cade was so tense he thought he might explode. He needed to get back to the cottage and get the hell away from these idiots. Even Aiden was getting on his nerves, and that was a bad sign. Mr. St. John tossed the keys in Cade's direction and climbed into the back seat, and when Aiden took shotgun, Cade tried to smile. "You're not having any fun at all, are you?" Aiden said.
    "I'm fine," Cade managed, and then he concentrated on driving. He had his license but didn't have much experience, and he really didn't want to ding the St. John Lexus.
    The cottage was quiet when they arrived back, and Cade felt at least a little of his tension drain away. He'd be okay if he could just find somewhere quiet to regroup, somewhere he wouldn't have to worry about being hunted down and harassed. So that left his bedroom out; it was right next door to Warren's, and Cade didn't want to think about what the man would try if he managed to get Cade alone behind closed doors. It wasn't like Cade couldn't fight back, but if it got physical, people would notice and explanations would be required, and Warren really didn't seem nearly as worried about keeping the secret as Cade did.
    He thought about the fort, but remembered that the little kids used it in the daytime. A walk in