“Yeah, but—”
“But nothing. I’ve been tested too. I want this, Cade. Skin on skin. Don’t you want that?”
Cade’s eyes were wide, but he nodded. “Yeah. Okay.”
It felt different. Better. Everything was more immediate, more real. After Aiden slid inside, he froze and looked down at Cade, letting it all sink in before he started to move. Cade. This was Cade. And he was Aiden. Just the two of them, and that was all they needed.
His eyes drifted shut as he lost himself in the sensations, and then he forced them open because he wanted to see Cade lying beneath him, looking up at him, marked and owned. And Cade was staring right back at him, his face tight with the intensity of it all. “Cade,” Aiden murmured as he thrust deeper and harder. “Cade,” he said as Cade rocked beneath him, rising to meet every movement. “Cade!” he yelled as his body took over, fighting to get deeper, move faster, claim more.
He heard Cade’s own gentler chant, “Aiden… Aiden… Aiden,” and then they were both lost, sent to a place beyond hearing or vision. And they went there together.
They dozed a little, woke up, and started it all again. Cade made his first mark on Aiden’s body, which seemed only fair, and from there they got lost in each other, rediscovering their bodies and making up for losttime. They took a break to eat some half-thawed baked goods for dinner, and then tumbled back into bed, wrestling playfully and then making love with the same joy.
They were dozing again when Aiden’s phone rang. He picked it up from the bedside table, glanced at the screen, and then picked it up. “Hey, Mom,” he said, and he grabbed hold of Cade’s arm to keep him from scrabbling off the bed. Cade’s guilt reflex was a little overdeveloped when it came to parents and sex.
“Hello, sweetheart. I’m just checking in. Your father’s gone back to the city, and I’m tired of waiting for you to call me. An e-mail isnotthe same thing, you know.”
“Sorry. I’ve been a bit busy.”
She paused as if searching for the best words. “But you’re okay? Everything is… it went smoothly? You and Cade are both okay?”
Aiden kept himself from saying something inappropriate about exactly how smooth things had gone. Neither his mother nor Cade would appreciate the innuendo. “Yeah. We’re good.” He lay back on the bed, dragging Cade along with him. “We’re really good.”
“Well, good,” she said, her voice back to being brisk and efficient. “Is Cade around? I need to speak to him.”
Aiden froze, hoping Cade couldn’t hear the words coming out of the handset. “You do? Why?”
She paused as if collecting her resolve and then cheerfully said, “I’m hoping he can help me plan your birthday party. I was going to try to make it a surprise, but that’s so difficult, with the distance. And even if itwerea surprise, I’d need his help to get you where you needed to be. So, I’m hoping he’ll work with me. I’m hoping he’ll help me out.”
Aiden took a breath and then let it go. “Thank you,” he said. There was no point trying to pretend he felt more casually about this than he did. “That’s…. Thank you.”
“It’s your twenty-first birthday, Aiden,” she said. He knew she was willfully misunderstanding, but didn’t object when she added, “Ofcoursewe’re going to have a party. So, is Cade available?”
Cade was right there. But Aiden wasn’t quite ready to share him. Not yet. Besides, Cade probably needed a bit of a pep talk before he dealt with Momma St. John. “He’s not, actually. But I’ll have himgive you a call, okay? Probably tomorrow night after he gets home from work.”
“Okay. That’ll be great.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
“He seems like a nice boy, Aiden. Your father likes him very much, and your father’s an excellent judge of character.”
“I should probably be recording this call.”
“Don’t you dare. Now, I’ll let you go.” There was a pause, and he somehow knew exactly how she’d be looking, how she’d smile knowingly, and then, “Bye, Cade!” she yelled into the phone.
Cade heard it and jerked away from Aiden in alarm, Aiden grabbed his shoulder and tried to coax him back, and his mother laughed over the phone line. “Not available, my ass,” he heard her mutter, and then the call disconnected.
“That was your mom? She—did she yell my name at the end?”
“She did. I think she’s come around. I think she wants to be buddies now.”
“I don’t want to be buddies with your mom, Aiden.” Cade sounded terrified by the prospect.
But Aiden shook his head. “Good luck with that. At some point, you’re probably going to have to tell her you called her a bitch. It’s not right to keep a secret like that from your best friend.”
“I don’t… this doesn’t seem right.”
“You have to help her plan my birthday party. I think maybe I’d like a nice fish dinner. Sound good?”
