“I see from your scars you’ve had much worse.” Cash’s arm seemed to shift slightly in his shoulder socket, and Cash jerked his back again. “But this shoulder injury isn’t going to feel nice tomorrow. From the way your motion is limited, you might have torn a tendon here.”
“Damn it. I was hoping it wasn’t torn.”
“I’m not a doctor,” Raiden said, “but I’ve hurt myself enough damn times to know that you’re going to have to rest this one for a while. And you should definitely get these wounds cleaned up.” It was the kind of thing his buddy Gray would normally make Raiden do, although he was pretty bad at following the advice for himself.
“Right after you decide you’re not going to kill me,” Cash said with a smile, “I’ll make sure to stop by the pharmacy.”
“No one is going to hurt you,” Lawrence said quickly.
“You sure?” Raiden asked, only half-joking.
“I might find that funny if your hands weren’t so close to my neck,” Cash replied. Raiden released his shoulders, then stepped back.
Lawrence crossed his arms over his chest. “I don’t know how I feel about you following me, Cash, or about the way that you lied to me. But I think I believe what you’re saying, too. What you’re saying makes sense, and… Well, I’m sorry for what my father has done, you know?” He turned to Raiden, and Raiden’s heart seized. “I really, really am,” he repeated, and Raiden’s memories flashed back to his father and his hometown.
“It’s not your fault,” Raiden said.
“But it is my responsibility to help do something, isn’t it?”
“In that case.” Cash stood up slowly, one hand on his injured shoulder. “Could I at least use this shower to clean myself up?”
Raiden frowned, but when Lawrence looked to him with pleading eyes, he nodded. “Towels are in the cabinet. Don’t make a fucking mess.”
Cash took his shirt from the back of the chair, then waved his hand at the apartment. “I’d never dream of disrespecting you that way, Raiden. At least not until I’m out of striking range.”
Raiden snorted a laugh, struck by Cash’s gumption as he walked toward the bathroom. He definitely didn’t let a little thing like an ass whooping slow him down.
“Holler if you need anything,” Lawrence said helpfully, then turned to Raiden with a shrug. “You, too,” he added quietly.
Raiden felt himself soften. “And you,” he said. “That’s a lot to go through in one night.”
Lawrence trembled, and Raiden stepped forward. He offered his arms, and Lawrence stepped into his embrace. They held each for a minute, the warm pressure of Lawrence’s soft body like a salve. “Thank you for saving me again,” he said.
“It’s like I told you after the fight—I thought Cash might be tracking you. After that, I couldn’t leave you alone with him.” He stroked the back of Lawrence’s hair, trailing his fingers through the curls. It was intimate, something he would normally never consider, but with everything upside down, all he really cared about was making sure Lawrence felt good.
“What about now?” Lawrence asked.
Raiden chuckled. “I still don’t want to leave you alone with him.”
“But do you think he’s being honest?” Lawrence asked as he stepped back.
“I do,” Raiden agreed. “I know what it’s like to carry a grudge like that, and I can see the price that he’s paid. I’m not saying I trust him with my life, but I do trust him with this. He’s serious about what he stands for, and that’s more than most people can say.” He glanced at the laptop, and his muscles tightened as he thought of his father again. “And if the company really is about to hurt more people, I can’t let that go by without at least trying to stop it.”
Suddenly, Lawrence’s arms were around Raiden’s neck, and Lawrence smashed his lips against Raiden’s. Instead of fighting it, Raiden took him into a deep kiss. He lifted Lawrence, grinding their hips together as their lips and tongues explored. He tasted Lawrence’s sweet mouth and dug his fingers into his hips. He let himself get lost in the surprise of it, all the pent-up energy from the fight coming out in a wave of greedy passion. It was relief and desire and pleasure and need, all at the same time.
“Wow,” Lawrence gasped, his lips still on Raiden’s. “Amazing.”
Raiden pressed their bodies together tight for one more breath, then pulled away. “I didn’t mean to do that,” he said. “I mean, I’m still your bodyguard. This is still a bad idea.” He bit his cheek, stopping himself from saying the next part: that he’d seen the way Lawrence flirted with Cash, too.
After years of hookups, years of swearing he couldn’t handle a relationship, Raiden had no doubt that Lawrence offered something different. Because right there, he knew that the only way he could have Lawrence would be to have all of him, totally and completely.
“How is it a bad idea?” Lawrence asked. “It’s what I want, Raiden.” He bit down on his lip, giving Raiden the look from the club. “Don’t you want to give me what I want?”
Raiden couldn’t resist anymore. Everything else in the world disappeared, every other worry and concern, and he took Lawrence into his arms for another deep, long kiss. He groaned with pleasure as Lawrence pawed at his back, then lifted him again, spinning him to press him against the wall. Raiden’s cock grew thick against Lawrence’s leg, and when Lawrence whimpered his appreciation, pleasure pooled at his core.
“I want this so bad,” Lawrence whispered.
“Don’t we all, gentlemen,” Cash said.
Raiden jerked his head to the side. Cash was standing there, naked except for a small white towel, cinched at his waist. His wet hair was slicked back, and his skin was pink and soft from the shower. Half of a grin cocked up his mouth as he stared at the two of them, hunger in his eyes.
“Don’t let me stop you,” he said, then took a step closer. “Please, continue.”
Raiden panted, catching his breath. His cock was throbbing in his jeans, and he shook his head fast, trying to shake the sudden stab of lust he felt for Cash. “You always walk around stranger’s apartments in a towel?”
Cash pursed his lips, then rested his fingers on the top of the terrycloth. “Did you want me to drop it?” he asked, then took another step forward. “I knew that Lawrence was interested in me, but I didn’t realize you two had something going on, too. Sounds fun.”
Heat and tension throbbed in the small apartment. Lawrence and Raiden were still tangled up together against the wall, as though they couldn’t move, the spell too strong to break. Ever since getting to New York, Raiden hadn’t been able to bring himself to find a hookup, and he’d grown hornier and hornier with each passing day. In the back of his mind, he knew that he’d been saving himself for Lawrence. But now that everything was ripped open, he had the strangest thought.
That just maybe he’d been saving himself for exactly this, instead.
