Page 10 of Hidden Desires (Bikers of Mayhem #2)

ACE

Nine Years Ago

T he smell of sizzling meat on the grill wafted toward Ace, making his stomach growl once more. He ignored his stomach and glanced at the group of young men standing next to the fire pit, holding their beers and talking amongst themselves.

It was the dead of summer, and the New Mexico heat was bearing down on everyone like the fire of Hades set to fine roast.

“I swear to god, my nutsack is stuck to my leg,” Jack complained, lifting his right leg and giving it a little shake.

The guys around him laughed.

“The girls seem to have found a way to keep cool,” Marcus said, nodding over to where a kiddie pool had been set up and filled with water.

Two blondes and a redhead sat chilling in the pool, sipping some pink concoction.

Each of them wore a tiny, colorful bikini, and each acted like they didn’t notice the ten horny straight men eye-fucking them from across the yard.

Ace rolled his eyes.

It was like watching a backyard full of untamed puppies, each trying their best not to hump the pretty girls’ legs.

Ace flipped the burgers and then turned the sausages before discreetly glancing over at his older brother and the three beefy guys standing next to him.

Caden, Nikolai, and the new guy, Blade.

Blade was a new member of the Shadow Vipers, having recently moved to Baton, New Mexico. Ace didn’t know much about the new guy, only that he was cute and had this weird obsession with knives.

Still, who was he to judge? Ace was weird himself.

Unlike his other high school friends, who were obsessed with tits and asses and trying to get hand jobs in the back field under the bleachers, Ace was more interested in football players and dicks, and nude showers with said football players.

God, he was a fucking mess.

Why couldn’t he be into girls like everyone else?

Life would be so much simpler that way, and perhaps his parents wouldn’t always be out partying. It’s incredible what people do to hide their disappointment at having a gay son.

Gay son.

What a fucking kick in the teeth.

New Mexico wasn’t exactly known for being the most open and tolerant.

No. It was best to keep his feelings buried deep and pretend to act like everyone else. One day. One day, he would escape this town and find a place where he could be open and honest about who he was.

Laughter erupted from the group gathered around his brother.

His brother, Marcus, was a mid-level member of the Shadow Vipers motorcycle crew, and this barbecue was his way of bonding with the guys.

Not that all the guys were the same age; they all ranged from their early twenties to mid-fifties.

Ace was the youngest of them all by far.

He was only sixteen. But it was his and Marcus’s place, so no one said anything about the awkward young teen chilling by the barbecue.

“Food almost done?” Marcus asked, stepping up next to him with his band of dirty men following close behind.

“Yeah, we got a container over there with meats already cooked and ready to be chowed down, and these ones will be done in about two minutes.”

“Awesome,” Marcus replied, slapping him on the back and grabbing a sausage from the “ready to eat” container. “Next, I need you to go and restock the cooler with beer. I’ll finish up with these last few pieces on the grill.”

Ace nodded. He didn’t mind taking orders from his big brother—well, stepbrother. The guy had basically stepped in and raised him since he was a kid, when it became clear that their parents had no intentions of claiming the role. He owed everything to Marcus.

Passing Marcus the flipper, he headed inside to grab some more beer.

Fifteen minutes later, the coolers were all stocked, and he had replenished the potato and macaroni salads on the table.

Who knew that bikers could eat so much food?

He glanced over at his brother, who was busy chomping down on two burgers and a sausage, along with his buddies, who were all stuffing their faces.

Well, at least they appeared to be enjoying the food.

Ace smiled and reached for the container of meat.

Empty.

What the fuck?

Ace walked over to the table to see if there were leftover pieces of meat in the other container.

Empty as well.

What the hell! They couldn’t even save him a burger or a piece of sausage? Talk about fucking assholes.

Ace glared at his brother, who was busy laughing his ass off, not having a care in the world.

So much for looking out for his little bro.

His eyes began to sting.

No, he was not going to cry. He was a fucking man now. So what if everyone ate all the food and didn’t even bother to think about him?

That was life.

Nobody gave a shit about anyone.

All he had was himself.

Lesson learned.

Fuck these guys, and fuck his big bro.

A hand landed on Ace’s shoulder.

“Hey, dude. Saved you some grub.”

Ace turned to see Blade standing next to him, holding out a plate with a burger and two sausages on it.

“The guys were going pretty hard on the food, so I figured I better snag you some before they ate it all.” The man’s warm chestnut eyes stared down at him, causing the stinging in his eyes to disappear as quickly as it had come.

“You, what?” Ace asked, eyes stuck on the most beautiful man he had ever seen. Blade’s thick brown hair and day-old facial hair gave him that unkept, wild kind of vibe.

“Saved you some food,” Blade said again, this time pushing the plate toward Ace’s face.

Snap out of it before he thinks that there is something wrong with you, Ace told himself.

He smiled back at Blade and took the plate.

“Thanks, man. I haven’t eaten all day, and I’m fucking starving.”

“No problem, dude,” Blade said, giving him a pat on the back. “I’m Blade by the way.”

Blade stuck his hand out and waited for Ace to shake it.

“I’m Ace, Marcus’s little brother.”

Blade smiled. “Yeah, I know.”

He stared at Ace for a moment as if contemplating whether to ask something or not.

“What?” Ace asked, hoping to prolong their conversation together. He had never seen such a studly-looking man before.

“I was just curious. I heard that your parents are Latino, and I was just wondering about your name?”

“My name?” Ace asked, confused by the question.

“Well, it isn’t what I would have expected, given that your parents are both Latino. Ace seems kind of Waspy.” Blade chuckled as he shrugged his shoulders. “Sorry. Hope I didn’t offend you or anything.”

Nothing this man could do to him would ever cause him to be offended.

Ace let out a soft laugh. “Well, Ace isn’t my real name.”

“It’s not?”

“Nope. It’s just what Marcus used to call me when we were younger. Everyone just kind of started calling me by it, and the name kind of stuck over time.”

Blade nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I can see that. It’s kind of like me. My dad didn’t really name me Blade. It’s just a nickname that kind of just stuck.”

“Oh? So, what’s your real name?” Ace asked, curious about the handsome man standing before him.

“My real name is Corrigan,” he said with a cocky smirk. “And what about you?”

Ace returned the flirty smirk.

“You’re going to have to earn that name from me. I can’t go around giving away all of my fantastic secrets.”

Blade chuckled.

“Fine. Keep your curious little secrets, my tiny friend. I’m going to go and finish off my chow.” Blade turned to walk away, but then paused and glanced over his shoulder. “The food’s awesome, by the way.”

And with that, Blade walked back over to join his buddies.

That was the moment that Ace fell in love with Blade. That single act of thoughtfulness and kindness would remain with him for years to come, filling his fantasies and desires—holding all future men against the man he couldn’t have.

Standing next to the table with salads, Ace wondered if he would ever meet a guy just like Blade. Hot, sexy, and always looking out for him.