Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 5

anything sharp, and if I try to break it, I'll jerk your leg around a lot." He grimaced, then pushed himself out of the water and waved his arms. "Dad!" he yelled toward the dock. "Dad! Boat! Bring the boat!"
    Mr. St. John seemed a bit confused at first, but then swung around to the other side of the dock; within moments, the engine of the speed boat roared to life.
    "Okay," Aiden said soothingly. "The cavalry's on the way. Just try not to jerk on it."
    "Fuck," Cade groaned. "There's no…" He didn't want to sound like an ignorant city boy, but he had to know. "Okay, there's no sharks, I get that. But are there other fish that are going to be attracted to blood?"
    "Like piranhas, you mean?" Aiden smiled and bobbed close enough to give Cade a quick kiss. "No. The hook is the grand total of the problems, here. We get you loose, get you into the boat so we can have a look at it, and we're good to go. When was your last tetanus shot?"
    "My last…" Cade made a face. "Possibly never?"
    Aiden made a disgusted noise. "You need to take better care of yourself, baby." But the boat was approaching, the noise of the engine cutting off the rest of Aiden's lecture, and Cade wasn't even too upset to see Warren's tanned face leaning over the side of the boat, helping to guide Mr. St. John closer without running the boys over. Aiden took over, ordering tools from the boat, ducking underwater to cut the wire, and then guiding Cade to the steps at the back of the boat. Cade hopped aboard with only a little gratuitous groping from Warren, and the group stared down at Cade's leg together, the blood pouring off into the pristine interior of the boat.
    "Stitches," Mr. St. John said firmly. "So if we're going to the hospital anyway, we might as well get them to take the hook out, too."
    Aiden nodded. "And a tetanus shot. He's a bit irresponsible that way."
    "He's probably a bit uninsured," Warren said, and Cade frowned at him. It was true, but Cade didn't really want this bastard having insight into his financial affairs.
    Aiden smoothed Cade's hair back from his forehead. "I'm going to bleed all over your car," Cade said. "I'm already messing up the boat."
    "We can hose the boat out," Aiden assured him. "And we'll get some old towels for the car." He looked down at the volume of blood still streaming down Cade's calf. "And maybe a plastic bag."
    "Fuck," Cade groaned, and let his head fall back into Aiden's chest. "Your cottage is trying to kill me."
    "It just thought you looked so sweet it wanted a taste," Aiden said. He kissed Cade's forehead. "I don't blame it."
    The boat roared back to life, then, Mr. St. John steering them expertly back to the dock. Cade tried to relax. His one attempt at freedom had ended in disaster; maybe he needed to just sit back and let himself be taken care of.
    ****
    The hospital not only gave Cade stitches and a tetanus shot, they also gave him pain killers. Things were looking up. He was supposed to keep his leg elevated as much as possible, and avoid exertion. "So we're back to the 'sit around and talk' plan for the week," Aiden said with a smile. "It was a good plan, and I think we're going to have fun." He sank down on the couch and carefully rearranged things until Cade was lying down with his foot propped up on pillows and his head in Aiden's lap. "And I told Mom you were sleeping in my room. I told her I needed to keep an eye on you, because of the pain killers. Which you only need because our cottage tried to kill you."
    "So she must love me even more, now. Right?"
    "Who cares if she loves you?" Aiden asked seriously. " I love you. I'm the important one here, right?"
    "You're fairly important," Cade conceded.
    "Does your leg hurt?"
    "Nothing hurts. Drugs are awesome."
    " You're awesome," Aiden said, and he ran his hand gently down over Cade's chest, then his stomach. His fingers hovered just above the waistband of Cade's shorts.
    "I am not going to get walked in on," Cade said firmly. "Your hand stays in family-appropriate areas, mister."
    "You don't have an exhibitionist kink?" Aiden squinted down at Cade. "You are actually almost completely kink free, aren't you? You are a very white bread person, Cade."
    Cade didn't want to have this conversation. Not then, and preferably not ever. "Well, there's the gay thing. That earns me some points, doesn't it?"
    "Gay is nothing ," Aiden declared. " Everybody's gay these days. I'm talking, like… serious shit. Like wanting to get tied up, or wanting to tie me