Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 8

wouldn't win, but he'd feel a damn sight better for trying. Tater just stood in the doorway grinning at him until Rufus pushed past him into the room.
    "Come on Tater, we better get him downstairs fast. That pretty little Japanese boy looks like he's gonna bolt at any second." Rufus leaned over without waiting for Tater, hefting Peter into his arms like a wayward bride who might require subduing to get her over the threshold. Peter grunted as a flash of pain shot up his leg. Tater held the door open, and the three cousins hastily made their way down to the living room.
    CHAPTER 12
    Hinata made it back out onto the front stoop, but before he could get the door shut to hide his embarrassingly panicked state, Rufus reappeared on the stairs, this time with Peter in his arms. The big man checked his stride, turning from the archway into the living room and heading instead straight for Hinata. His heart thundering in his chest, Hinata backed toward the street, completely forgetting he was up on a raised porch.
    "Stop—"
    "Hinata!"
    "Butterfly watch out for—"
    All three cousins yelled out their warnings, but by the time Hinata's brain finished processing them he'd already taken another step back into thin air. He began to fall sickeningly through space, and had just enough time to slam his eyes shut in terror before his fall stopped short against a solid wall of muscled man.
    "Well now, you must be Peter's Butterfly. I'm Marcus." Hinata squeaked, actually squeaked for all the world exactly like a mouse or a frightened middle school kid. His eyes flew open to find the upside down face of a dark angel staring at him with a lopsided grin and nearly black eyes full of wicked mirth. A ragged moan from inside the front door brought both their eyes back to the house. Peter stood leaning against the doorjamb, pain radiating from every line of his body, and a very pissed off Rufus with a nasty scratch down one side of his face loomed over him looking equally torn between picking his cousin back up and kicking him the rest of the way out of the house.
    Hinata scrambled out of Marcus's arms and across the small porch in a flash to wedge himself under Peter's right arm. "Here. Lean on me, Peter. You shouldn't be trying to walk on your leg yet. Not without a brace on it."
    Rufus backed a few steps away, the irate look on his face lessening as the white lines bracketing Peter's mouth pinched tighter. Tater stood ready at the couch, a pill bottle in one hand, and glass of water in the other. "Rufus, you'd better come help him down to the couch. I don't think he can do it on his own without hurting his leg more. And I told you we outta have put that brace back on his leg before we brought him down. You can see for yourself he doesn't have a lick of sense about things like this."
    Rufus nodded, easing closer to Peter's other side. "Hinata, you just hold him steady a moment when we get to the couch. I'll get him down on it safe enough as long as he's not trying to get on his white horse and ride."
    Hinata glanced up at Peter, and then over to Rufus. Why would he be rattling on about a white horse? Peter's cousins were more than a bit odd. He shook his head, and then nodded. "I will hold him steady for you." Peter's delicious scent rose to fill Hinata's head, richer and stronger this close to the source. The tight place inside Hinata that had wound tighter all day with thoughts of his mother and how he could keep her away, keep her from being disappointed in him let go all at once. Hinata sank to his knees, grateful that he could pretend to be helping to lift Peter's legs onto the couch.
    He remained kneeling for a moment. Peter's hand slid across the nubbly surface of the couch, coming to a stop a whisper away from touching Hinata's cheek. "Thank you." Hinata's lungs opened up, allowing air to move in and out again, and the black spots dancing in his vision released their hold on him.
    "I am fine." Peter's hand moved a fraction forward, the tips of his fingers just grazing Hinata's skin. A husky chuckle sounded above him, and Hinata tilted his head back to meet Peter's blazing blue eyes.
    "I never—don't y'all need to be seeing about dinner?" Peter's hand kept touching Hinata's cheek, but his eyes turned away to glare up at his cousins, Marcus, and Andre who had entered the house at some point while Hinata concentrated on getting Peter settled on the couch. Hinata giggled. Peter's eyes turned back to him, heated once and again. Hinata