Page 82 of Hidden Desires
Blade was not a coward or a chicken. So if he gave in to someone or yielded, he was either terrified of what the person might do or had his reasons for doing so.
“Blade traded his life for yours?” Marcus asked, eyes still filled with worry.
Ace nodded. “The man loves me. His only concern was getting me out of that situation and as far away from his father as possible. He didn’t hesitate. When his father offered him the trade, he ran over and grabbed those zip ties. His father could have betrayed him or shot him on the spot, but Blade was willing to sacrifice everything if it meant a chance at saving my life.”
“You got a good one there, Ace,” Lucas said, leaning into Caden for support.
“You do. Which is why we are going to get our brother back,” Marcus snarled. “Do you remember where they took you?”
Ace shook his head. “All I know is that there was a canyon and a ratty old cabin sitting next to it.”
Growling, Marcus stood up and turned to the rest of the boys in the room.
“Nikolai, you hit the streets and see if any of your contacts know where we can find Blade’s father and this cabin by the canyon. Caden, you and Luc call Chester. See if he has a doc in the area he trusts. I want to get someone to come and check out Ace and make sure that he’s okay.” Then he turned to Ace. “Ace, you are going to tell me everything you remember while I clean your wounds.”
Ace nodded at his big brother.
There was something to be said about watching a gigantic man squeeze into a tiny bathroom and maneuver around the place like he wasn’t being squished at all.
This whole thing was ridiculous.
Ace had already told his brother that he didn’t need his scrapes cleaned and that if Marcus insisted, they should probably just do it in the bedroom, not the tiny-ass bathroom.
But Marcus insisted. It was easier to wash out the wounds and then ensure that the bandages were securely in place in the bathroom.
If you asked him, Ace was pretty sure this was just Marcus’s way of trying to maintain control over a situation that he felt out of control in.
So Ace let his six-foot-four brother squeeze his big-ass man-cheeks into the tiny-ass bathroom to tend to his wounds, while he sat on the toilet like a ten-year-old child, letting his parent bandage up his scraped knee.
Ridiculousness.
“I have to apologize,” Marcus said in such a low voice that Ace wasn’t sure the man had said anything at all.
“For what?” Ace asked, staring at his brother, who was refusing to make eye contact.
“For being an overbearing asshole of a brother to you.”
Ace placed his hand on his brother’s, stopping him from washing the dirt off his elbow.
“We already covered all of this.”
“ I know, but if it wasn’t for me going all caveman on Blade, he wouldn’t have run off, and you wouldn’t have been kidnapped.”
“Oh, I probably would have been kidnapped, even if you hadn’t tried to murder my fuck toy.”
Marcus gave Ace a disgusted look.
“I’m still not comfortable with the thought of Blade being inside of you. The man is just so…”
“Sexy? Strong? Hilarious and charming? Has a big dick and knows how to use it?”
Anger flashed across Marcus’s eyes.
Okay, perhaps he had gone a little too far with that last one.
“Okay, okay, I’m sorry. My point is that Blade is a really good guy deep down. I know he might not always show it, and often thinks that he will be made fun of if he shows vulnerability or weakness, but the truth is, he is the perfect man for me. Plus, he’s crazy about me.”
“Well, if a guy is willing to trade away his life for yours, I guess I couldn’t ask for a better person to share your bed.” Then a look flashed across Marcus’s face. “Wait, why do you think that you would have been kidnapped either way?”
