Page 15 of Primal Urges

“Having trouble, sweet cheeks?” Caden asked as he stepped up behind the boy.

“Huh? Wh-what?” Lucas asked, startled and nearly dropping the items he’d been carefully balancing.

“Looks like you could use a hand.”

Blushing, Lucas lowered the dartboard and held the hammer out to Caden.

“Know how to use one of these?” Lucas asked, looking all cute and innocent.

Something about the boy made Cade want to take the hammer and build him something. He usually felt this way when he was trying to impress a woman with his superior man skills and capabilities.

Caden chuckled.

“Yeah, I think I know my way around a hammer.” He took the tool and held out his hand, waiting for Lucas to give him the nail.

The boy just stood there staring at his palm.

Cade tried not to laugh. The boy really was hopeless when it came to fixing things.

“It works better if you give me the nail as well.”

“Oh! Shit, sorry,” Lucas rushed, his face quickly turning a deeper shade of red before dropping the nail in Caden’s massive paw.

“No worries. You’re a little bit uptight, aren’t you?” Caden asked, turning to face the wall and trying to visually judge where the dartboard should be hung.

He didn’t need a measuring tape or level because… well, hey, he was a guy and had a penis.

No self-respecting man needed assistance from some pansy-ass construction tool.

Yes, he was raised in a world where toxic masculinity still ruled. Add that to the expectation that all male bikers be rough and tough men, and Caden did his best to live up to those expectations.

From the corner of his eye, Lucas shrugged his shoulders but didn’t say a word.

After double-checking his position on the wall, Caden placed the nail in its proper position and gave it a few taps with the hammer before giving it a stronger whack. The nail went in perfectly, protruding just enough to hang the board.

He turned and took the dartboard from Lucas.

“There. How does that look?” he asked, adjusting the dartboard before taking a step back and admiring his handiwork.

He felt a swell of pride in his chest.

Man one. Dartboard zero.

“Wow, looks perfect!” Lucas cheered, his face brightening with a smile that could win over a room full of cobras.

Wow, that smile was intoxicating.

It was nice seeing Lucas’s face light up. He was kind of cute when he wasn’t all nervous and looking like he was about to get eaten by a mountain lion—which made Cade wonder, once again, why someone as shy as Lucas would choose to work at a rough place like this.

The boy looked like he belonged in a coffee shop or perhaps a pet store where he could play with fuzzy animals and give them kisses all day long. Ride ’em Hard didn’t exactly seem like the right fit for the boy.

Cade glanced around at the array of tools spread out on the pool table. He hoped that Lucas hadn’t attempted to hang the dartboard with a screwdriver or a wrench. However, considering the hopeless look in the guy’s eye when he first approached, he very well could have.

“So, is there anything else that needs fixing?” Cade asked, taking a final look around the space.

“Nah. I think Marcus was testing me, trying to figure out exactly what my skill set is and where I truly belong,” Lucas said, offering him a half smile.

Over Lucas’s shoulder, Cade spotted Marcus talking to Ace but watching the two of them. It wasn’t like Marcus to be so petty.

---