Page 20 of Primal Urges (Bikers of Mayhem #1)

CADEN

T wo nights later, Caden found himself walking by Ride ’em Hard once again. It was just after two thirty in the morning, and the bar was closed up for the night.

Closed but not empty.

Standing by the front window, he grinned as he watched Lucas throw his arms up into the air before crouching down into some kind of shimmy. It must have been some sort of dance move from some musical he had never heard of.

Whatever it was, it was fun, upbeat, and full of life.

Just like Lucas.

More and more, he found Lucas invading his thoughts. He had never met anyone quite like him. His spirit, his cheerful demeanor. He had come a long way from that timid, shy young man who bumped into him while exiting the bathroom.

It still took a bit of time for Lucas to warm up to large, rough-looking men, but you could see him struggling to try. Whatever his ex had done to him had really fucked him up mentally and emotionally. But Lucas would get there in time.

Rapping on the window, he waved when Lucas spun around, startled. His face lit up when he caught sight of Cade.

“Don’t you ever sleep?” Lucas asked as he pushed open the front door.

Caden shrugged. “I was busy cleaning and changing the sheets on Lizzy’s bed. She’s coming to stay with me for the next three days.”

“Oh, that’s exciting!” Lucas cheered, stepping back and letting Caden through the door. “So what do you have planned?”

Caden shrugged. “Probably order a pizza, then play some video games. The girl’s obsessed with Mortal Kombat . She can kick my ass any day.”

The bar smelled like pine-scented cleaner. It wasn’t a bad smell, but it was definitely a smell that customers and the guys at the bar would not be used to. Normally the bar smelled of liquor, sweat, and horny desperation.

“How often do you play?” Lucas asked as he reached over a booth and began running down the wood with a rag that was no longer white.

Jesus, how dirty was this fuckin’ place?

“Usually once or twice a week, depending on how often I get her.”

Lucas paused as if trying to comprehend what Caden had just said.

Lucas straightened up.

“Here’s a thought. The day after tomorrow, the library is hosting a Hairspray movie sing-along night in the park behind the library. Why don’t you bring Lizzy? I’m sure she would love it.”

“ Hairspray ? What’s that?”

Lucas’s mouth dropped open before closing suddenly as if he had answered his own question.

“Sorry, for a second there, I forgot that you were straight and not one of my theater friends.” Lucas chuckled. “Trust me. Your daughter will love it! There is big hair, lots of color, and John Travolta in a dress!” Lucas exclaimed, using his hands to indicate “big hair” above his head.

Now it was Caden’s turn to chuckle.

“Basically, the kids can dress up if they want, they watch the movie and sing and dance and get to eat popcorn and candy, and basically expel a shit ton of energy before they have to go to bed.”

Cade smirked. “Hmm, I like the tiring my kid out part of it.” Plus, it would be fun watching his little munchkin running around singing her little heart out.

“Okay, we’ll do it. But on one condition.”

“What’s that?” Lucas asked, applying more cleaning solution to the disgusting brown-and-black rag that he was using to clean the backside of the furniture.

Who knew you had to clean all sides of chairs?

“You have to come with Lizzy and me to the sing-along.”

Lucas’s head snapped toward Cade.

“Me? No. No. This is daddy and daughter time.”

“But I thought you would love it?” Caden asked, confused and feeling a bit rejected. Normally, girls jumped at the opportunity to join him for a night out.

But usually, those were dates, his inner voice explained.

Yeah, but… still.

He liked Lucas and wanted to spend more time with him, and he knew that this was something that Lucas would love to do.

"Oh, don’t worry. I plan on being there. Front row and center. Dancing and singing and wearing my big blue wig.”

Lucas was beaming with excitement.

“See? You will already be going. So why not join Lizzy and me and show us how a real professional does it?”

Eyes locked on his, Lucas appeared to be assessing the situation.

Was Lucas worried that he would freak out again and run off? Was he worried that people might find it strange that the two of them—two dudes, one gay, one straight—were hanging out together at a… musical ?

“You really sure you want me intruding on your time with your daughter?” Lucas asked, appearing unsure.

“Of course. She loves you.”

Walking around the bar, Caden began pulling bottles down from the shelf before grabbing a shaker and two glasses.

“Come on. I won’t take no for an answer. I’ll even butter you up with one of my special blue lemon drop martinis. You’ll love it.”

Without waiting for an answer, Caden began mixing liquids into the aluminum shaker before popping on the lid and shaking it vigorously.

Caden pretended not to notice the way Lucas’s pupils dilated as they locked onto Caden’s biceps while he shook.

Okay. He knew that he was being a cocktease, but who was he to deny the man a good look at a sex god in action? He spent hours at the gym each week, trying to sculpt that perfect body. A body that people could enjoy and salivate over.

Lucas licked his bottom lip without realizing it.

Yeah, the boy was hooked.

“Well, okay. On one condition. You ask Lizzy’s mom if she is comfortable with one of your friends joining her daughter at one of these events. It’s always important that both parents are consulted before any strangers are allowed to interact with their kids.”

“But Lizzy already met you in this bar?” Caden protested, not really sure what the big deal was anyway.

“Yeah, and that was Daddy mistake number one. You never leave a child alone… in a bar… where anyone is able to approach them.”

“Okay, you got me there. Fine. I’ll text Amber first thing in the morning to make sure that she is okay with you joining our playdate.”

“You mean sing-along,” Lucas corrected. “There will be much singing and dancing and even some costume changes if you play your cards right.”

“Good. Now that we got that settled, here, drink this. You’re looking awfully thirsty standing there, watching me make your drink.”

Lucas’s cheeks blushed.

God, he was fucking cute when he was embarrassed .

Their fingers brushed against one another, sending a jolt of electricity through them. They both jumped, startled by the sudden burst of energy.

“You do realize that I am trying to clean this place. And here you are, making it dirty once again.”

Caden gave him a filthy smirk that sent the tips of Lucas’s ears blushing.

“Most people don’t complain when I make things a little dirty.”

Lucas’s mouth dropped open.

He liked teasing Lucas. There was something sweet and endearing about the way his cheeks turned red, and he bashfully looked away when he was embarrassed. The guy was too fucking cute for words.

“I’m heading downstairs to get more cleaner,” Lucas said over his shoulder as he carried a mop and bucket toward the back.

“Wait up! I’ll join you.” Caden hopped down off the bar, chasing after him with his drink.

Once they were in the basement, Lucas began opening boxes, searching for something to remove stains from metal surfaces.

“Damn it. I could have sworn I saw some cleaner here a few days ago.”

“Here, let me help.” Caden set down his drink and started rummaging through the boxes on the floor and the storage shelves Ace had installed a few months ago, part of his “stay organized” initiative.

When it was clear there was no cleaner in the basement, Caden got an idea.

“Hey, hold up.” Caden walked over to the far wall and stopped in front of the broken lamp. He glanced over his shoulder and gave Lucas a stern look. “Don’t tell anyone what you are about to see. If Marcus finds out that I showed you this, he will personally rip my nuts off. Can I trust you?”

Lucas stared at him curiously before nodding his head in agreement. “Of course. Whatever it is, it stays between you and me.”

Turning back to the wall, Caden turned the fixture to the left and pulled the wall forward, revealing Marcus’s hidden room of illegal toys.

Lucas gasped behind him.

“Holy shit. What is this?” he asked, stepping forward and following Caden into the secret room.

“This, here, is the room that does not exist .”

Lucas’s eyes went wide as he took in the room around him.

“Blade, Nikolai, Ace and I run pick-up and delivery for Marcus. We transport guns, make drug runs, and even procure certain rare and hard-to-find items. This room is where we keep all the merchandise until Marcus is ready for us to make the delivery. Like I said, only a select few know about this room, so you can’t tell a soul that I let you in here. ”

He hoped that he could trust Lucas not to blab his mouth.

Lucas walked around the room, taking a look at all the items. He seemed intrigued and curious, opening boxes and picking up guns as he browsed.

“Shit! Are those snakes?” Lucas asked, jumping away from a few tanks containing various species of the slithering reptiles.

“Yeah, we got some dude who likes to do research, so we catch these guys for him and then deliver them when he needs them,” Caden explained as he began looking through some boxes on the floor.

He was pretty sure that he had seen a box of cleaner somewhere that they used to disinfect the tanks when not in use.

“Bingo!” Caden shouted, lifting the lid off one of the boxes. “Found you some extra cleaner.”

Lucas walked over to where he stood, no longer interested in the cleaning products he was originally searching for. He bent down and picked up a few bottles without actually looking at what he was grabbing.

“So, how often do you guys do these jobs for Marcus?”

Caden shrugged. “A few times a month. It brings in some pretty good cash for the crew, and Marcus is making a pretty good name for himself in the criminal underworld.”

“Wow, you guys are pretty gangster after all.”

Laughing, Caden headed to the door. “Yeah. You should see me when I’m on muscle duty.”

“Muscle duty?” Lucas asked, stopping and staring at Caden.

Caden flexed his bicep and gave Lucas a wink. “Cartels pay extra when they hire the crew to protect their asses during high-risk meetings or deliveries.”

He swore he saw Lucas’s cock twitch in his pants.

Yeah, he was totally getting a boner thinking about him being all tough and manly.

Caden liked the thought of the boy getting turned on thinking about him as the protector. He wanted to explore that scenario a little bit more later on, but for now, Mr. Broadway had chores to get done.

“Come now. Don’t you have some toilets that need scrubbing?”

Lucas gave him the finger as he walked past him and exited the room.

The boy was feisty when he wanted to be.

Caden loved it.