Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 5

sound hard, the way he had back when he'd had to deal with this asshole before.
    Warren smiled in recognition of the tone. "There's my little wild cat." He craned his neck around to be sure they were still alone, then leaned forward and quietly said. "I want you. The way it used to be. I want your big eyes staring up at me as you choke on my dick, and then I want your tight ass bent over a cheap motel bed." He leaned back, took another quick look around, and said, "That's what I want, and that's what I'm going to get. For free this time." His arrogant smile made Cade nauseous. "You can fight me all you want. Truthfully, I hope you do. But we both know you're going to lose. We both know you'll do anything you have to in order to keep your sweet little boyfriend in the dark." He leaned forward, his big hand heavy as it rested on Cade's knee, then slipped up along the inside of his thigh. "It's going to be beautiful," he promised, and he ran his hand up over Cade's fly and cupped him there proprietarily. Cade was too shocked, too stunned to move, and Warren gave him a firm squeeze before taking his hand away and standing up. "Dinner's almost ready," he said cheerfully. "David and Tricia Castleman are going to join us. Have you met them yet?"
    Cade just stared, and Warren smiled down at him. "You'll like them," he promised, and then he turned and headed out in the same direction Aiden had gone, whistling happily.
    Aiden returned only a few moments later. He took one look at Cade and fell to his knees beside the couch. "Cade? You okay? Is your leg hurting you?" He frowned and looked back over his shoulder, then took Cade's hand. "Was Uncle Warren being weird? He's kind of… I don't know. He's not usually like that, but sometimes he gets a bit much. A lot of touching. My dad had a talk with him about it a few years ago, and it got a lot better. He's a bit creepy sometimes. And awkward, so he doesn't really realize it's making people uncomfortable. But I know you're not a big fan of the casual touching. I can ask him to stop, if you need me to."
    Cade was pretty sure he was going to cry, but he laughed instead. A short, barking sound, but still, technically a laugh. "No. I don't need you to do that," he said.
    "Dinner, boys!" Aiden's mother called.
    Cade struggled to his feet and Aiden hurried to help him, but Cade brushed him off. Then he caught himself. All this pain was because he wanted Aiden, and now he was treating him like he didn't matter? He turned suddenly, startling both of them, and grabbed hold of Aiden's face then pulled him down for a desperate kiss. He needed Aiden. Warren was right; there was nothing Cade wouldn't do to protect the relationship.
    He pushed away and started limping toward the kitchen. Aiden caught up in a couple steps and hooked his arm in under Cade's, helping to support him. Cade let himself take the help; he needed all the assistance he could get.
    CHAPTER FOUR
    David and Tricia Castleman were lawyers, just like Mr. St. John. Tricia worked at a big corporate firm, and David worked for an environmental group.
    "Aiden spent quite a bit of time last summer volunteering there," Mrs. St. John told Cade. "I guess that was before the two of you met. You found it quite interesting, didn't you, dear?"
    "Yeah, it was great," Aiden agreed, but he didn't say much more. He'd been quiet all dinner, watching Cade as if he were a baby crawling along the edge of a skyscraper roof. Cade had to admit that Aiden was right to be worried; he wasn't sure how much longer he'd be able to hold himself together.
    "Cade's studying engineering," Mrs. St. John said. " Petroleum engineering." She shook her head. "Strange to think that my environmentalist son is dating a future petroleum engineer."
    Aiden said nothing, and Cade didn't blame him. Mrs. St. John was obviously on a roll, and had been sinking tiny hooks into Cade all dinner. When Cade hadn't wanted wine, she'd made a concerned face and said, "Oh. Is alcohol a problem for you?" as if he were a drunk. When he'd waited to see what fork to use for the salad, she'd noticed and made sure that everyone else saw her lifting the proper utensil and showing it to him. Cade had no idea what had happened to the casual cottage atmosphere, but assumed that this was just one more way of Mrs. St. John making it clear that he didn't belong. It was the least of Cade's worries, really, but she didn't know that.
    And Warren, the greatest of Cade's worries, was enjoying it all.