Page 13 of The Fight For Survival

Damon parks in the shop's customer parking area. We get out of the car and walk into the shop. It is open-planned with a large semi-circle reception desk on the shop's left side. On the right side are a row of leather chairs with a coffee table in front with magazines stacked in the center. The tattoo stations are sectioned off with private, low partitions so you can only see the tattooist's head as they work. The low partitions give the shop a bright look and a welcoming vibe.

"Can I help you?" I look towards the person talking and recognize him from last night. Jake, I think it was. Heart rate increasing, I look around the shop again when my eyes land on Cade's. He seems to have already spotted me. The heat of his stare instantly goes to my groin, causing me to squirm, the urge to adjust myself strong, pissing me off in the process.

When I first started feeling things for Cade, I shut it down as fast as it came and blamed it on teenage hormones. Now I'm back, and I can't blame it on that anymore. I don't know what to do with that.

I look at Damon, staring at Cade like he's his next meal. Damon is a very sexual person. He is open to trying anything. I bet there isn't anything he hasn't tried—not seeming to care if it's with a man or woman. I'm pretty sure I'm the only person he's met that he hasn't tried to hit on, for which I'm grateful.

As I watch Damon with narrowed eyes, it clicks. Fuck me. He's after Cade, and why the hell is that making me want to punch Damon in his greedy face?

While we were having breakfast earlier, Damon asked who Cade was. I thought it was because I had never mentioned him before, but now I think it's because he is hot for him. I clear my throat, bringing Damon's focus back to me. He laughs and shrugs in acan you blame me?Way, and turns back to the man from last night.

"This is your place? You were at Noxious last night, right?" D questions, putting his hand out to the man. He shakes his hand, looking wary. "Jake. Yeah, that's right, I remember. You went with Braylon." Guess that answers who Damon hooked up with. Though remembering Braylon's appearance, I never would have guessed he was into guys. It serves me right for assuming shit.

"This isn't my shop. I work for Cade. This is his place." Jake explains. I see everybody is using Cade's nickname now. Used to be just Mia and me. A burning sensation goes through me, feeling a lot like jealousy.

Looking back in Cade's direction. He's still staring at me. Leaving Damon to talk to Jake, I decide to go over to where he is sitting at his station, feeling his eyes on me all the way. "Nice place," I comment, waving my arm around the shop. Blinking rapidly as if trying to snap out of a daze, Cade stares at me.

He has a folder sitting open in his hands and goes to close it. I don't know what comes over me, but I put my hand on the open page to stop him, touching his hand in the process. I feel a jolt of electricity go through my hand and up my arm, making me pull back quickly. His head snaps up to me as I stand over him, eyes blazing.

"Can I see?" I ask, a flush causing my cheeks to heat, mortified to hear the lust in my voice. He nods his head and starts to stand up, letting me have his seat.

I'm standing so close that when Cade stands, I would have to step back to give him space to move. I don't. I let his body brush against mine, and the contact sends heat to my body and a twitch to my already hard cock. Fuck why didn't I move back? The air between us grows heated as Cade stares at me. I follow the movement of his tongue as he licks his bottom lip, blinking when the murmur of Jake and Damon's voices floats our way, breaking the friction and intimacy of the moment.

I clear my throat and step around Cade to take his offered seat. I instantly look at what seems to be his portfolio and stare, mouth agape, stunned at some of the art he has created. I am conscious of Cade pulling over a second stall and joining me at the station. "These are amazing," I say more to myself than him, running my shaky fingers over the colorful dragon he has so skillfully drawn. "Thanks, I worked my ass off on that one," He laughs, easing some of the tension in the room. "Here, let me show you this one. It's my favorite."

He leans over and starts turning the pages. His familiar sandalwood scent is a balm to my frayed nerves. He has a little aftershave on, but the rest is just Cade. I notice that he has two beautifully designed letters on the side of his neck, just behind his right ear. I can't get close enough to see what letters they are, and I can't help but wonder what they stand for. A girlfriend, maybe?

"Did you design those on your neck?" I ask. He stiffens and abruptly sits back up, rubbing his fingers over the letters. "Um... yeah, I did." He clears his throat, eyes not meeting mine. "What are they? Initials?" I know I'm being pushy, but the curiosity is killing me. "They are initials, but it's not something I want to talk about right now. Here, Look."

He points at the portfolio, distracting me, and I suck in a breath, immediately pulling my mind away from the subject and staring at the drawing in awe. It's a drawing of three children, two boys and a girl. The boys are on either side of the girl, smaller than them. They are smiling at her while she has a butterfly sitting in her hands. The detail in this drawing is just outstanding. The realism in the children's happy faces causes a lump to sit in my throat.

"It's us," I whisper, finding it hard to breathe. "Yeah, I didn't know my mother took the picture until I went through some stuff to take to my new home. Do you remember that day?" He questions, a small nostalgic smile on his face. "Mia was so amazed when that butterfly landed on her," he continues.

I clear the lump in my throat, "Yeah, and you said that they were attracted to pretty bright things, and that's why it was drawn to her." I laugh, shaking my head at the memory. "You were always the charmer even then," I tell him. Cade laughs, and though his voice has become deeper as he's gotten older, the sound is so familiar that it instantly warms me.

"So what have you been doing these last five years? We didn't really have a chance to talk last night. Things were a little overwhelming," Cade says, closing the portfolio. And just like that, I feel myself closing up again. It's for the best. I didn't just leave them for nothing. I shouldn't need to keep reminding myself of that.

I stand up, clearing my throat, shutting myself down, and push back my best memories of the two of them. "I eat, sleep, fight, and repeat. Not much to tell you, man." He looks at me, narrowing his eyes. He knows what I'm doing but, thankfully, doesn't question me about it.

Damon comes striding over to us, putting his hand out towards Cade's. "Hey, Daniel, nice to see you again." I glare at Damon, who just smirks at me in return. At least he is using his given name. Cade smiles while accepting Damon's hand and shaking it. "Yeah, you too, man, though I wasn't thrilled to see you this morning whistling a cheerful tune in my kitchen at the ass crack of dawn," he laughs, causing my eyes to widen, then send a deathly glare Damon's way. "The fuck you talking about?" I spit. Damon has the decency to look remorseful.

He should be scared, with the jealous rage slowly taking over my body. Cade looks between us, "he didn't tell you? He stayed with Mia last night and looked after her." My rage intensifies.

Clearly sensing his impending death, Damon forces a laugh. "Come on, man, don't throw me under the bus. I'm the poor fucker who has to put up with this aggressive, uptight jerk off."

"I've known Kane most of his life. He wouldn't be aggressive to the people he cares about. And I wouldn't use the word uptight to describe him," Cade says, looking almost annoyed at Damon's description of me. I look at Cade and shrug, trying to come off as arrogant while trying my damnedest to push away the urge to pull Cade into my arms and see what he tastes like. "Yeah, well, people change. I'm not the weak little boy you used to know, Cade."

"I didn't think you were ever weak, Kane, all I meant was the Kane I knew was kind, caring, and considerate with the people in his life. Never aggressive or uptight."

I swallow the lump forming in my throat and fold my arms across my chest, masking my emotions. "As I said, people change." I look toward Damon, who looks between us like he is trying to work out our history.

The truth is, I have never mentioned Cade or Mia to anybody. That might sound like I didn't give a fuck about them, but it was the opposite. Talking about them hurt worse than anything I have suffered in the past, and I thought if I didn't talk about them, the pain would go away, and I could move on. It didn't help. Not one fucking bit.

Changing the subject, I ask, "Damon are you getting your tattoo done or not? I've still got to talk to Mia before the fight tonight." Cade narrows his eyes and sits back down at his station. "Nah, it's cool. They're fully booked for a few weeks. I've heard some good things about this place, Dan. I might just have to book an appointment for when you're next available." Damon finishes that sentence with way too much seduction in his voice. Asshole.

"Sure, just go over to Jake, and he will book you in," Cade points toward Jake and looks back at me, his voice clipped when he asks, "so you're taking my advice and speaking to Mia before you fuck off again?" Fuck I hate seeing so much hatred in Cade's eyes directed toward me. "Yeah, is she still living with her Mom?" Cade lets out a humorless laugh. "A lot has changed since you left, Kane. Mia lives with me now. We've been together for over four years."

I feel like I've just been sucker-punched. The worse part of it is that I don't even know if it's Cade or Mia I'm jealous of. Maybe both. They can have a stable relationship without triggers and dark pasts, and to be able to have that? It makes my chest feel tight, making me want to hold it. I should be happy for them, and maybe deep down, I am. But for a selfish moment, I don't feel anything but sadness.