Page 36 of Primal Urges

“He’s a cop. And a crooked one at that.”

Now it was all beginning to make sense. Lucas’s ex would have had all his buddies hunting down his ex in a matter of days if he’d tried to use any of his accounts or cell phone.

Caden reached over the table and squeezed Lucas’s hand once again.

“You’re under our protection now. That asshole is never going to hurt you again. I promise you that.”

Strangely, he felt this intense need to shield and protect the young man sitting across from him. Yes, they hadn’t known each other for very long, and this was probably one of the longest conversations he’d ever had with the guy, but something inside him wanted to protect him.

No matter what, no harm would ever come to this man, ever again.

“Here are your drinks. Your food will be out in a sec,” the waitress announced, materializing out of thin air.

Cade had totally forgotten about their order. He’d need more than a few beers to calm himself after hearing this crazy story.

“Thank you, Cade. You and the guys at the bar have been so great to me.”

“Well, you’re one of us now. We all stick together and watch out for one another.”

“I’m starting to see that,” Lucas said with a smile on his face.

A few minutes later, the waitress brought out their orders.

“So, where is Lizzy tonight?”

Freezing mid-chew, Caden put aside his tentative murder plot for Lucas’s ex and rejoined the conversation at the table.

“Oh, she’s with her mom tonight.”

“Your wife didn’t want to join you for dinner?”

“What?” Caden asked, confused and a tiny bit lost. Then his brain caught up with the conversation. “No. Lizzy’s mom and I aren’t together. She’s just a chick I fucked one night after having too many drinks at the bar. Amber decided to keep the baby, and I usually get to see Lizzy on weekends during the day and on alternating holidays. Amber is decent about letting me see Lizzy whenever I want, so I have it pretty good compared to some other single dads. I had her the other day at the bar because Amber needed someone to babysit for her while she went to an appointment.”

Caden couldn’t believe he was sharing all of this personal info with someone he barely knew. Usually, he never discussed his personal life or Lizzy and her mom. It was one of those “men don’t share feelings with others” kind of things.

“Well, Lizzy seems like a really sweet kid.”

“That’s all her mom. Thankfully, she doesn’t take after me.” Caden let out a chuckle as he finished off the last of his fries.

Caden was one of those weird people who liked to eat his fries first before diving into his burger. Why let your fries get cold? Then they taste like shit, and all you have is a juicy burger.

“We both know that isn’t true.”

Caden glanced up at the man sitting across from him. His stomach felt fluttery.

Why was getting a compliment from the boy making his stomach feel all funny?

11

CADEN

By the time they finished their meal, it was just after eleven thirty at night. Leaving the diner, Caden distracted Lucas by asking him more about his love of theater and what made him want to perform live on stage.

“I swear, there is something magical about bringing a song to life and watching all those around you get transported by your voice. Seeing a young child’s face light up at their favorite song or seeing an adult wipe away a tear as they are consumed with emotion is one of the greatest feelings in the world.”

“Well, I don’t really know much about musicals or Broadway shows, so I can’t exactly say I understand what you are sayin’, but I could see being lost in your voice.”

Lucas’s smile dropped from his face.

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