Page 38 of Primary Seduction
“Yes, thank you for letting Trent feel like he’s my only option. I’m sure that makes him feel a lot more wanted.” Max let the sarcasm hover in the air to hide his own opinion. Sean blushed.
Trent laughed. “I guess I’m it then, Max.”
“No, I’m not going to put you out when you have a week off to relax. I’ll call Livvy and see if she can come up for a few days. If not, maybe Charlotte can.”
Trent leaned closer to Max, lowering his voice. “Max. I’m offering, it’s not a problem. If it will make you feel better, I can stay at yours. I’m just trying to help.” He sat back again and stared down at his hands.
Max immediately felt bad for making Trent feel uncomfortable. He closed his eyes, shook his head and said something he would likely regret. “If you are one hundred percent sure, I’d appreciate it.”
Trent glanced up, studying him for a moment, then nodded. “No problem. Shall we get you ready to bust this joint?” He didn’t wait for an answer, just smirked as he stood. “I’ll go speak to the nurses.” With that, Trent whirled out the room, taking some of the oxygen with it.
Max stared at the door for a few minutes, trying to figure out how he’d managed to get himself into this mess. Then a voice interrupted his thoughts.
“Earth to Max,” Sean said.
“What?”
Sean and Asher chuckled. “I said, are you really all right going with Trent?”
Max nodded. “Yeah. I know I don’t know him as well as I know you, Asher, but I know him well enough. I just didn’t want to intrude on his free time.” And he didn’t want to risk the chances of getting too close again.
He’d had the opportunity to think about that kiss before everyone had turned up about an hour ago. It had been delicious, but Max had decided it had to be a one-time thing. He knew his personality, and he would push and push for Trent to give him everything he could, even if he wasn’t ready for it, and Max didn’t want to do that. He could tell that Trent was battling something—excluding his ex-wife—and he didn’t want to make it worse by pushing him further than he wanted to go. If Trent was gay—or bisexual, or whatever else—Trent needed to figure it out himself without any input or meddling from Max.
Trent walked back in the door with a doctor following behind.
“Okay, Mr Hughes. I’m happy for you to leave so long as you stay with your boyfriend—” Max saw Sean and Asher glance at each other in confusion at that word, “—for at least three days, four would be better. You need to rest your ribs, so avoid lifting anything heavy or straining, stop playing sports or going to the gym for the moment and avoid lying or sitting still for long periods of time. You’ll want to breathe shallowly because it hurts to do otherwise, but I’ll need you to breathe deeply to ensure your body heals properly.” The doctor paused as he looked at Max’s chart. “If you’re unsure of anything, please call, and I’ll talk you through it.”
“Thank you.”
“Let’s get this paperwork filled out, and we can get you sorted. Do you have a change of clothes to get into?”
Max looked to the ceiling. “No—”
“Yes, he does,” Trent interrupted. Max looked at him. “I brought a bag of stuff in case you needed something.” He saw a faint red blush on Trent’s cheeks.
“Great.” The doctor moved closer to Max and began talking him through the discharge paperwork.
****
What felt like ten hours later, but was, in fact, just over an hour, he shuffled painfully to the bathroom with a nurse to get changed. Sean had offered to help but the nurse had come in and taken control. He probably would’ve refused Sean anyway, no point involving friends in your state of undress unless you had to. Then the realisation that he would probably have to have Trent help him with things like this screamed through his mind. Oh, shit. What had he agreed to?
The process of undressing and dressing was a painful process, and one he would have to learn to breathe through—he definitely couldn’t do it on his own though sowouldneed Trent’s help. The same with bathing, but that was something he could attempt on his own to begin with to save face.
Once he was ready, he stood as tall as he could, breathing through the pain and walked out of the bathroom, the nurse following, then leaving the room altogether. His swollen eye skewed his depth perception, but he saw Trent straight away talking with Sean and Asher. They seemed to be having a disagreement. When Asher noticed Max walking towards them, he nudged Sean, and they all turned to him.
“You look better clothed,” Asher said, then blushed and stammered, “I just mean you hide your injuries better when you’re wearing clothes. God, Asher!” He muttered the last bit as if to himself and rubbed his face.
Max laughed, then groaned. “God, don’t make me laugh.” He cleared his throat. “I knew what you meant, Asher.”
“Ready to go?” Trent asked.
He nodded. “Yes, definitely ready. And thanks for the clothes.”
Trent’s gaze looked him up and down in assessment. “They fit you well.”
“Should I be concerned about you having clothes my size?” Max teased.
Trent blushed. “They’re my older clothes, from when I was with Trish. I’ve bulked up a bit since then.”
