Page 17 of Hidden Desires (Bikers of Mayhem #2)
ACE
A s he stared down at his plate, Ace wondered where he was going to put it all. It had seemed like a good idea at the time—piling on every delicious item he came across at the buffet. Until now, it seemed.
Taking in the crab legs, dumplings, noodles, and spicy chicken, he wondered how on earth he was going to finish everything on his plate.
Lifting his head, he spotted one of the Asian servers staring at him with judging eyes.
Yes, he was one of those gluttonous Americans who loved their free meals and open buffets.
“Don’t know where you hide it all,” Lucas said as he slid in across from him.
They were seated at a long, rectangular table, perfect for hosting a large group, or in their case, a rowdy biker gang.
The crew had decided to hit the Strip in search of some dinner. They ended up at an all-you-can-eat Asian-style buffet. The online reviews for the place were off the charts.
“I’m beginning to wonder that myself. If I finish all this food, I can say goodbye to my abs,” Ace answered, picking up his fork and moving the crab legs off his noodles.
“Just means you’ll have to do more cardio tonight,” Caden answered, giving him a wink.
Ace poked at some chicken, then stared at it on the end of his fork. “How many do you think? Two? Three?”
“Three what?” Blade asked, slipping into the seat beside Ace, carrying two heaving plates of food of his own.
Jesus, the man was a beast.
“Guys,” Ace said, sticking the fork into his mouth and biting into his chicken. “How many guys do you think I have to fuck tonight to work off all this food?”
Blade’s arm jerked, nearly knocking over the glass of water in front of him.
Lucas and Caden chuckled.
“Ace was complaining that if he eats all that food, he won’t have any abs anymore,” Lucas explained.
“So, naturally, I reminded him of all the calories he could burn getting gangbanged all night,” Caden added, cracking into his own set of crab legs.
Next to him, Blade shot Caden a death stare before letting out a growl under his breath. He didn’t say anything, just picked up his fork and stabbed at the sirloin steak on his plate.
Hmm, that was… interesting.
“I say four,” Lucas offered. “It’s better to be safe than sorry. You wouldn’t want to spend all that time working over all those dicks, only to find a belly roll come morning. It’s not worth the risk.”
Ace stared at Lucas while the man discreetly glanced over at Blade. There was a reason he and Lucas were such good friends—they understood each other and knew how to make a man jealous.
“Here,” Blade grunted as he stabbed at one of the dumplings on Ace’s plate and shoved it into his already full mouth. He began to chew like he and the food were mortal enemies. “Now you only have two dicks to suck in order to stay in shape.”
Caden and Lucas both exchanged a glance.
“Thanks, B. Where would I be without you?” Ace responded, shaking his head as he resumed picking at his food.
He really had no intention of eating all of it. He’d be lucky if he finished a quarter of it.
Behind Lucas, the judgmental woman continued to monitor Ace’s progress.
“So, what did you guys get up to today?” Lucas asked, as his boyfriend chomped down on his food next to him.
What was it with beefy men devouring their food like they were cavemen?
“Actually, Blade and I did one of those old-time photos!” Ace answered, reaching behind him and passing his friend the black-and-white photo.
“Mmm!” Lucas jerked forward, excited by the picture. “I’ve always wanted to do one of those! Cade, we’ve got to get one done. Just the two of us. It would be so much fun!”
Cade looked up at Blade. “See what you did? Now I’ve got to go play dress-up with my sex toy, all because you needed an excuse to watch Ace change.”
“Hey!” both Ace and Lucas blurted in unison.
“I may be your fuckhole, but I am not a toy,” Lucas clarified.
Lately, Lucas and Caden were trying out this whole stranger and man-whore fuck role-play thing, which sometimes bordered on being rude and demeaning.
Now it was Ace and Blade’s turn to laugh.
Caden smirked at Lucas. “Horny yet?”
“I’m getting there,” Lucas said nonchalantly, taking a forkful of salad. While they might tease each other and try to solicit a reaction from each other, they were both ridiculously devoted to each other. They only had eyes for one another.
“And what about you guys? How did the trip to the police station go?” Ace asked, rescuing another dumpling that was about to be skewered by Blade’s fork.
The man still has two full plates of food. Why was he trying to empty his?
“The boys did good,” Marcus interjected, pulling up a seat next to his little bro, followed by Nikolai and the others.
“Yeah, I’ll give you my notes once we get back to the motel. I’ve got details on the crime scene, location, and who found the body,” Lucas noted.
Ace was impressed. He didn’t think Lucas would be able to get so much info in such a limited amount of time.
Lucas placed his hand over Caden’s as he continued to eat his meal with the other. They sat happily together as they munched on their food, seemingly unaware that their hands were connected on the table.
That was love right there. That need to be connected with the person you love, and not even being aware of your body’s natural reactions.
Ace smiled. He wanted that sort of love for himself one day. A love so strong that even when apart, your hearts still beat as one.
From the corner of his eye, he glanced over at Blade, who was also staring at the joined hands while he continued to chomp down on his food.
If only Blade were bi, there might be a chance for them as a couple. Well, that was if Marcus didn’t murder them first.
Next to him, Marcus nudged his massive body into Ace’s.
“You doin’ alright, kid?”
Ace nodded. “Yeah, just giving my body a moment to digest and absorb all these carbs.”
Blade chuckled before stabbing at another piece of chicken on Ace’s plate. “One,” he mumbled, without adding any additional words.
Across from him, Lucas looked up and smiled at Ace.
Perhaps one day.