Page 25 of Hidden Desires (Bikers of Mayhem #2)

BLADE

L istening to Ace snore as he slept was quickly becoming one of Blade’s favorite things to do in the morning—next to getting his dick sucked by Ace.

Currently, Ace was lying curled up into him, resting his head on his chest, as Blade gently caressed his back.

He could get used to this.

The intimacy, the warmth, the feel of the boy’s gentle heartbeat pressed up against his chest.

Somehow, this twenty-five-year-old twink with an attitude had wormed his way into his heart.

He wanted to blame it all on the boy’s smile. Those perfect lips and those cute-ass dimples… Fuck, Ace could easily win every argument they would ever have by simply smiling.

Fuck, he was in so much trouble.

He finally understood why Caden had been so protective of Lucas.

Even the idea of someone wanting to hurt Ace had him seeing red and planning out burials.

Once they had solved Steven’s murder, he was going to have a sit-down talk with Marcus. Lay it all out for him and hope that the man sees reason. Because there was no way he could ever go back to not wanting to be with Ace.

The man was his rock. They belonged together. It was clear now.

Blade’s head snapped toward the door as the sound of a key sliding into the lock caught his attention. He barely had time to tap Ace before Marcus burst into the room.

“I knew it!” Marcus growled, lunging at the bed and grabbing hold of Blade’s foot.

He yanked Blade so hard that he and Ace both went flying off the bed and onto the floor.

“What the fuck?” a sleepy and confused Ace mumbled, rubbing his eyes with his hands as he struggled to see what was going on.

“Marcus—” Blade began before he was pulled to his feet and shoved up against the small table.

“Hey!” Ace shouted when he realized what was happening.

“Marcus, please,” Blade said before stumbling backward when Marcus’s fist connected with his jaw.

“He’s my little bro! How dare you take advantage of him!” Marcus shouted, yanking Blade up once again and then body-slamming him down onto the floor.

Fuck, the guy was a tank.

Blade didn’t want to fight back. He didn’t want to hurt his friend and the older brother of the guy he loved.

“Marcus, it’s not what you think,” Blade began, throwing his arms out in front of himself in self-defense.

“Marcus! You ass!” Ace shouted, jumping onto his brother’s back and punching him in the back of his head.

His brother spun around and flung Ace down onto the bed.

Did Marcus even feel Ace’s body against his?

The guy reacted like a tiny fly had just flown into him. It would’ve been comical if the man didn’t have murder in his eyes.

“Stay out of this, Ace! I’ll deal with you later!”

Marcus turned his wrath back on Blade. He grabbed him by the arm and shoved him toward the door. He yanked it open and shoved Blade outside in nothing but his underwear and good looks.

“Marcus, please,” Blade tried, allowing himself to be manhandled by the man he considered a friend and mentor.

“Get the fuck out! I don’t ever want to see your face again!” Marcus snarled, standing in the doorway, breathing heavily.

“What’s going on?” Caden asked, jogging toward them with Lucas following close behind.

They both looked confused and concerned.

Caden was shirtless, wearing nothing but his joggers and sandals, while Lucas came running in his teddy bear onesie.

“Nothing. This man-whore betrayed the crew and fucked my little bro,” Marcus snarled, kicking Blade in the thigh as he struggled to stand up.

“Dude! It’s nothing like that,” Blade tried once again, starting to get a bit pissed.

He knew this was going to happen. He tried to stop himself, knowing that no good could ever come from giving in to his true feelings for Ace.

There was no scenario where this wouldn't end with him betraying his friend, breaking Ace’s heart, and ending up back on the streets.

“Did you stick your dick into my little bro?” Marcus growled, standing over him, looking like he was ready to bash his head into the ground.

Blade sat quietly. No matter what he said, he had lost Marcus’s trust. The man was never going to let him be with Ace. Not now, not ever.

Marcus stepped back into the room where Ace was yelling at him, cursing and shouting, and calling his brother every fucking name in the book.

Blade looked up at Nikolai and the others, who were now standing around him with looks of concern plastered on their faces.

"Marcus… I—” His sentence was cut off when one of his boots hit him in the head. The rest of his clothing landed all around him.

“Take your shit and leave. I never want to see your bastard face again. If I do, I’ll fucking kill you,” Marcus snarled, standing next to the door, chest heaving.

“Marcus, wait. You don’t mean what you’re saying,” Nikolai blurted, stepping between Marcus and Blade. “Let’s just calm down and talk about this. This is Blade, our brother. Whatever he and Ace got going between them, we should at least hear them out.”

Caden took a step forward and extended his hand to help Blade to his feet.

Perhaps his brothers weren’t going to abandon him after all.

“No! He took advantage of my little brother and broke the bro code,” Marcus snarled.

“Bro code?” Lucas whispered, glancing over at Caden as if searching for an explanation.

Caden shrugged as he helped Blade to his feet.

Marcus lunged forward again, but was stopped by Nikolai.

“Boss, please,” Nikolai pleaded.

Seeing the hatred in Marcus’s eyes, Blade knew that he had lost his trust. He was being kicked out of the family, all because he gave in to his heart and ignored his head.

Ace finally appeared in the doorway, looking pissed as hell.

There was a scratch on his chest, probably from his fight with his brother.

“Marcus, you got it all wrong,” Ace shouted, taking a step toward Blade, before being snatched up by Marcus.

“You’re done with him,” Marcus snarled at his young brother.

Blade reached for his jeans and stepped into them.

He knew that this was going to happen. How could he have been so stupid?

Not bothering to do up his belt, he stepped into his boots and glanced at Ace, who was still cursing and struggling against his brother’s deathlike grip.

“No! Let me go!” Ace shouted, pounding his fists against his brother’s chest.

It was a battle between David and Goliath. One had power of the heart, the other had power of strength.

“Ace. Stop,” Blade finally said, feeling dejected. He tucked his T-shirt into the back pocket of his jeans. “He’s your brother. There was never going to be a scenario where we could ever be together. He loves you and only wants the best for you.”

“Fuck that,” Ace shouted, giving his brother a headbutt to the nose.

Marcus stumbled back, still holding onto his little brother for dear life.

It was sweet that Ace was trying so hard. Finally, he had someone who wanted to fight for him. But he couldn’t come between brothers. They were family. They needed each other.

While it broke his heart to do so, he needed to let Ace go. He needed to walk away from this family.

Perhaps one day he could start again.

He took one final look at Ace, trying to commit every curve of his face to memory.

Seeing the boy with tears in his eyes broke his heart.

He wanted to remember Ace the way he was last night, smiling and laughing as they flew together across Fremont Street.

That was the memory he always wanted to remember.

“Take care of yourself, kid,” Blade said as he swung his leg over his Harley and started the engine.

“Blade, no!” Ace cried out, reaching for him.

Ignoring the crushing feeling in his chest, he shifted his bike into gear and peeled out of the parking lot.

He glanced into his side mirror and watched as Ace tore himself out of his brother’s grip and leaped into Lucas’s arms.

At least he had his best friend to hold on to.

He… he had no one.