Page 25 of Primal Urges (Bikers of Mayhem #1)

LUCAS

T here was something warm and safe about being wrapped in Caden’s arms. They were firm yet gentle. Like he was trying to protect him but also make him feel safe and able to escape if needed.

Opening his eyes slowly, Lucas stared out into the darkness before him.

The room was quiet, except for the soft breathing coming from behind him. At some point, they had fallen asleep spooning with Caden’s arms wrapped firmly around his body.

Remembering the way he had reacted last night made Lucas’s stomach turn. It wasn’t that he was afraid of Caden or worried that he might hurt him because he knew that he never would.

It was the way Caden’s body suddenly pinned him down on the bed. His full weight on top of him as he struggled to find his lips to kiss.

That force.

That aggression that he had once found such a turn-on was suddenly betraying him.

It all happened so fast.

A quick flash of Darryl’s face, giving him that evil grin as he forced himself onto him and took whatever it was that he wanted.

With Darryl, it had always been about the control. They didn’t make love; they fucked with a goal of reaching his pleasure. His orgasm could only seem to be reached if there was a hint of terror and forced control with his partner.

It had taken Lucas about a month from when they first started dating to discover Darryl’s particular taste. He wasn’t looking for a partner or an equal; he was looking for someone he could control and who would service him.

By the time Lucas had realized the terrifying truth, it was too late. Darryl had his claws into him, and it was becoming more and more difficult to leave the further they got in their relationship.

Would he always fear having an aggressive man on top of him? Perhaps. But he hoped that in time and with a lot of patience, he might be able to work through his past trauma and find a way to cope with the terrifying memories.

Lying in bed with Caden’s arms wrapped around him, he had never felt so safe. These were the arms of someone who cared. Someone who could be trusted. He didn’t need to fear these arms. This man was good. This man was safe.

Behind him, Caden’s chest rose and fell against his body, making Lucas feel incredibly connected. It was as if they were sharing a moment in time that belonged only to them.

His heart expanded in his chest.

Fuck, he was really starting to fall for this man.

Then his bladder began to complain.

Why did one always have to take a piss right when they were comfortable and warm and never wanting to leave the spot that they were in? It was one of God's cruel jokes, sent to man to remind them that they were under his mercy. His design.

Groaning, Lucas carefully slid out of Caden’s arms and slipped on his underwear.

He still felt awkward walking around the house—or barn, in his case—butt-ass naked.

He knew it was his place, and he should feel comfortable doing as he liked in the privacy of his own…

barn , but it felt kind of awkward having his dick swinging around where horses used to eat and shit. Strange, but true.

He descended the ladder and headed to the bathroom.

After taking a piss, then deciding to brush his teeth and fix his hair, he reached for the bathroom door and turned the knob.

The damn thing didn’t turn.

What the?

He double-checked that the door was unlocked, then tried the knob once again. It still wouldn’t turn.

Oh great. He could see it now. He would either spend the rest of the night trapped in the bathroom, waiting for Caden to wake up and rescue him, or he would call out, waking the poor man and asking him to come to his rescue. Both scenarios would result in his utter humiliation.

He tried once more, pulling and twisting and cursing every god he could think of.

Then he froze.

A tiny bit of smoke began slipping in under the door.

Was there a… fire?

More smoke began to quickly seep through the gaps around the door.

Fuck!

Lucas began to cough.

The bathroom only had a small window just above the toilet that latched open, but it was nowhere near large enough for him to squeeze through.

Shit! Caden!

He had almost forgotten about the sleeping hunky man currently nestled in the comfort of his sheets.

“Caden! Fire!” Lucas screamed, hoping that his voice would be heard in the loft above the bathroom.

The bathroom was beginning to fill with smoke.

Panicking, he reached for a hand towel and quickly ran it under water. He placed the cloth over his mouth and nose and ran to open the bathroom window. At least that would let out some of the smoke.

Fear continued to flood in.

How was he going to escape? How was he going to get to Caden? Was this how his life came to an end? Burned alive in a barn death trap?

He needed to escape. He needed to save Caden.

Lucas reached for the doorknob once again and let out a yelp. The surface was scorching hot.

Shit! This was getting serious.

He began pounding on the door and screaming for Caden to wake up.

There was no way that he and Caden were going to die tonight in a fire.

What if Cade had passed out from the smoke? What if his bedroom was already on fire and Caden was being burned alive?

He needed to get out and rescue Cade. This was not how their story ended!

“Cade! Wake up! Fire!”

“Luc?” Caden’s muffled voice cried from somewhere behind the door. Coughing followed.

“Cade! I’m in here! The door’s stuck!”

A large thud against the door startled Lucas.

He took a step back, scared that perhaps Caden had passed out behind the door.

“Luc! Move away from the door!” Caden shouted.

Lucas took another step back.

The door trembled with each powerful bang against it. Eventually, the wood began to crack, and finally, the sharp edge of a silver axe sliced through the door, sending columns of smoke pouring in.

“Luc! This way!” Caden shouted as he pushed aside the broken planks of wood from the door and cleared a path for Lucas’s escape. “Give me your hand.”

Caden grabbed Lucas’s hand and scooped him up and over his shoulder, carrying him fireman-style out of the bathroom and past the blazing inferno that was quickly consuming the loft and the hallway to the bathroom.

The rescue was both terrifying and a major turn-on.

Clinging to the broad shoulders of the man carrying him as if he weighed nothing was like every wet dream he had had since his balls descended.

Watching the fire around them destroy everything in its path was horrifying.

“It’s okay, I’ve got you,” Caden huffed out in the most reassuring voice he had ever heard.

Clinging to his hero’s naked torso, Lucas felt relief as they exited the barn.

Once they were clear and safe, Caden placed Lucas back on the ground. They turned and watched in horror as the barn before them was consumed by the fiery blaze.

The fire was large, and the heat was intense.

“You… you saved my life,” Lucas said, wrapping his arms around Caden’s neck and burying his face into his chiseled chest.

“It was your shouting that woke me up. Guess you saved mine as well,” Caden said, holding him tight in a hug.

“What the hell happened?” Lucas asked as he pulled away, watching his home and the last of his possessions vanish in a ball of fire.

“No idea,” Caden whispered.

The sound of a fire engine began to screech off in the distance.

“Fire’s on its way. You boys okay?” Old Man Benson asked as he came running from inside his home. “What the hell happened?”

Both men just shook their heads.

They had no fucking idea.