Page 48 of Primal Urges

Caden passed Lucas his red concoction and watched as Lucas cautiously brought the glass to his lips and took a sip.

“Mmm! That’s really good!” Lucas praised, lifting his glass and staring at the liquid. “It almost tastes watermelon-y.”

“Good guess. I’m still working on perfecting the drink, but when it’s all done, you can help me name it.”

Lucas smiled.

“Have you ever thought about asking Marcus if you can bartend for him? Even if it’s just for a few nights of the week,” Lucas asked, taking another sip from his drink.

Caden blushed. That was the big question he had always been too afraid to ask.

What if the man said no? Was he even good enough to bartend?

“Nah. I’m not good enough to do this for a living. Plus, with arms like these,” Caden flexed his biceps, “I make the perfect bouncer.”

Always just a piece of meat and nothing more than hired muscle.

While it may have come across as a joke, secretly, Caden hated himself. If he didn’t feel that he was worthy enough to be more than Marcus’s hired muscle, why would he expect others to think differently?

Pushing that thought from his mind, he glanced back up at Lucas.

“Okay, you get back to cleaning, and I’ll just sit here enjoying my drink.” Caden gave him a wink as he plopped his meaty ass down on a barstool.

He would hang out and keep the boy company for the night, hoping to get back into his good graces. He really enjoyed hanging out with Lucas at the diner and then again after for their little movie night. He felt horrible about the way he had reacted and hoped to somehow find his way back into Lucas’s trusted circle.

Slowly, over time, he would eventually earn his way back.

For now, he would sip his drink and watch a cheerful Lucas as he wiped down furniture and mopped up the floor.

It wasn’t long before Lucas returned to his one-man Broadway performance, belting out another Broadway tune he had never heard of. It sounded nice and cheery.

There was so much life in the boy once he let himself relax and lower his walls. His true self was starting to show.

If this was what Lucas looked like, always smiling, always singing, Caden never wanted to see another frown on the boy’s face again.

15

CADEN

Two nights later, Caden found himself walking by Ride ’em Hardonce 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.”

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