Page 38 of Cultivating Caden
He smacked his forehead. “Oh my God! I’m such a ditz. Come on, come in. We have a room all set up for you. The bed’s not that big, but maybe you two can stack.”
“Um… we’re not together.”
“That’s okay, Quade, you don’t have to hide it.” Kieran grinned at Quade. “It’s about time this girl landed herself some prime real estate.”
“Okay, that’s it. You’re on time-out, mister.”
“But why?” Kieran pouted. “What did I do?”
“No questions. Get in the house and up to your room. Go on.”
He heaved a sigh. “Yes, Sir.” Kieran shuffled into the house, turning and giving a beseeching look over his shoulder at Matt.
“Don’t even try it. Go on.”
As soon as the door closed, Matt broke out in a laugh. “I’m sorry about that. He’s excited to see Caden, and sometimes he gets a little out of hand.”
“He called you Sir. The two of you made it formal yet?”
“Yeah, his collar is hidden by his shirt.”
“Collar?”
Caden turned to face Quade. “Matt and Kieran are into BDSM. Kieran needs Matt to keep him grounded because, as you see, he can get a bit exuberant. But he’s a great guy, I swear.”
“He is,” Matt agreed. “It’s just that sometimes he needs to be reminded he’s loved and wanted, and his collar helps him feel secure.”
“I knew you were talking about it before I left. I wasn’t sure you’d ever go through with it.”
“It wasn’t really my thing, but Kieran needs it, and I need him, so I’ll do what I have to. Besides, the sex is out of this world.” Matt’s gaze went to Quade. “I hope you don’t think badly of us.”
“What? No, why would I? There’s nothing wrong with BDSM, and if it works for you and Kieran, then fuck what anyone else has to say.”
“I like this one, Caden. I think he’ll be good for you.”
“Seriously, it’s not like that between us. We’re friends and that’s it.”
Quade wasn’t sure why the words hurt so much. He was happy to have Caden as a friend, and there couldn’t be more between them. Caden might one day prove to be powerful if he was able to get his abilities under control, but he was still pretty much a human. Soft, sweet, nurturing. The way he was with Ten, how he’d fed Quade, not to mention the fact that Quade’s story hadn’t sent him scrambling for the hills, all amounted to something Quade could see as something more than a friend.
If he wasn’t afraid of tearing him apart during sex. Fucking lycan blood.
“Yeah, just friends, like he said. He wanted to show me where he used to live, and I figured I could use some time off, so here we are. If you don’t have room for me, I can sleep in the car.”
Matt seemed horrified by the suggestion. “Hell, no! Look, we can set you up on the couch, if you want. It won’t be the most comfortable thing to sleep on, but it’s better than braving the elements by sleeping outdoors.”
If only he knew how often Quade had slept outdoors. But he smiled and nodded. “Thanks, the couch would be great.”
“Matt? If I say I’m sorry, can I come out? I really missed Caden is all. I really am sorry.”
Looking up, Matt gave a toothy smile and gestured to Kieran, who took off like a shot and jumped into his lover’s arms.
“You’re going to behave now, right?”
“Yes, Sir.” He turned to Quade. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. I get you’re happy to see Caden after so long. I probably would be too.”
Kieran’s cheeks pinked. “He’s our best friend ever. Life isn’t the same without him in the house. We both miss him like crazy.”
And now Quade felt guilty that he’d thought about keeping Caden away from them forever.
God, he was such a bastard.
