11. Seth

Chapter Eleven

SETH

"Ouch! You've got hands like meat hooks. Damn." Aiden hadn't stopped bitching the whole ride home, and it was starting to get on Seth's nerves.

It was dusk before he'd managed to pull Aiden off the practice course, but Aiden had already taken dozens of tumbles by then. One drunken week at a ski resort hadn't prepared him for the life of an extreme sports enthusiast as much as he'd hoped. Aiden had sprawled spread-eagle in the snow, panting for breath, and still, he'd clamored for another try.

"You want me to just drag your body through the snow this time?" Seth had asked skeptically, reining in Diamond and resting one arm across the saddle horn. "Because there ain't no way you're getting up after that last tumble."

"Shows what you know," Aiden had grumbled, attempting to roll over and give himself some leverage, but only flailing like a turtle flipped on its shell.

Ultimately, Seth was forced to put his foot down, and Aiden wasn't looking to forgive him for it any time soon.

"Quit whining," Seth said, pulling up in the wide gravel turn-around of the Shirleen Trailer Park and cutting the engine. Aiden's trailer sat kitty-corner at the edge of the lot, directly beneath a fluorescent light post. It hadn't changed since the day Seth helped him pick it out with his meager savings.

He came around the side of the truck to hold the door while Aiden battled his jammed seatbelt.

"I can do it myself," Aiden protested, irritably shoving away Seth's helping hands. He was moving stiffly, like an old man with his joints locked up from the cold. "You didn't have to drive me home."

"You can barely walk," Seth said. He kept his tone low, but a wash of anger still crept in despite his best efforts.

"So, I overdid it a little. No big deal." Aiden shrugged—or tried—but it was a lopsided mess.

Seth hadn't missed how he flinched every time they hit a pothole. Aiden braced himself against the frame of the truck as he stepped down, but his over-taxed knees instantly buckled beneath him.

Seth caught him by the elbows before he could crumble. "Stubborn as a fucking mule," he muttered.

Aiden laughed, sounding breathless, and said, "That last jump was a real sonofabitch, wasn't it?"

"Wouldn't have been so bad if you'd landed," Seth said wryly.

"I landed!" Aiden protested, elbowing Seth's support away and digging around in his jacket for the keys to his trailer.

"On your face." Seth jammed his hands in his pockets to stop himself from reaching out while Aiden hobbled up his doorstep. "I should've said no to that last run once I saw how tired you were."

"Why didn't you?" Aiden asked while he unlocked his front door.

"I don't know," Seth answered honestly. "I guess I just like watching you sweat."

Aiden hesitated. Uncertainty flashed across his face, as if he wasn't sure how to take the comment, and Seth couldn't help but feel a little smug; Aiden was so rarely tongue-tied. Seth loved his wild, free-spirited nature, and he'd always protected it no matter the cost, but a small part of him enjoyed knocking Aiden off balance. Making him vulnerable. It appealed to his animal side, calling to a part he always tried to keep tightly guarded. He wasn't a caveman, but all it took was one glance into those wide, blue eyes, and all he wanted was to put Aiden on his back, throat exposed, and pin him there. Keep him that way, soft and open, just for him. Fight to the death if anyone dared come close. He'd do it—happily. He'd have done it long ago if Aiden ever gave any indication that it was something he wanted. But he never did, not really ; he was just a flirt by nature.

"Come on," Seth said, gently gripping Aiden's elbow when he stumbled over the threshold. "You'll feel better after a shower."

"What about Diamond?" Aiden asked.

"She'll be fine for a few minutes. I can't pick Tessa up from her church group until six, anyway."

"Oh. Well, welcome to my humble abode," Aiden joked, flipping on the light above his sink. "Sorry, the butler isn't here to take your hat."

The front door was so narrow they both had to duck and angle their shoulders to cross the threshold, and Seth still accidentally caught his hat on the frame. Aiden backed up to give him room, looking flushed. Rosy color had begun crawling up his throat.

There was no need for embarrassment; he'd seen the ramshackle state of Seth's own house. But even in a poverty-stricken small town, the Shirleen Trailer Park was considered rock bottom. The trailer was only supposed to be temporary housing while Aiden figured out a game plan. He shouldn't still be here. He was a single man and a hard worker; he should have been able to afford an apartment or even his own house if his mother wasn't glutting herself on his bank account like a tick.

The space felt claustrophobic with two grown men standing at the same time. The kitchen area contained a few cabinets, a shallow sink, and a mini fridge. The living area was only a padded bench that separated the kitchen from the unmade bunk in the back. Except for the rumpled sheets, the place was fairly clean, but it would have to be with so little space.

Everything in the trailer looked old and faded...except the man standing beside him. Aiden was always so bright it hurt to look directly at him. He didn't belong in a place like this. If life had unfolded differently, he'd have taken the spare room at the farmhouse and decorated it to suit his personality—loud, cheerful, and a little bit cringe.

"Get out of those wet clothes and hop in the shower," Seth suggested, trying to ignore how unsettled he felt. "You got any liniment?"

"Of course, I've got liniment," Aiden grumbled, unzipping his ski jacket. It was flamingo pink. Seth had been ignoring it all day, but Aiden finally caught his bemused look and explained, "I borrowed it from Cherilyn."

Seth frowned. "You still messing around with her after what happened?"

"You heard about that?" Aiden looked flabbergasted.

"It was all anyone talked about for a solid month. No way to avoid it." Seth's eyes narrowed. "You could've been seriously hurt."

"Nah, it wasn't that serious." Aiden's grin was almost fond, as if it was all a good joke. He tugged off his ski cap, and a riot of damp blond curls sprang up all over his head. "Besides, I deserved it. I knew she'd only broken up with Jake a week before. She'd always seemed like a good time, so I was okay being a revenge fuck. I just forgot how jealous that asshole can be."

"He dumped you in the middle of the woods naked," Seth said flatly.

"Yeah." Aiden laughed and raked a hand through his hair, looking embarrassed. "I'll admit, I was worried about frostbite on my dangly bits?—"

Seth snarled.

"—but it all worked out okay. They're back together, and Jake and I shoot pool down at the Trophy Club a few times a month." Aiden cocked his head. "What's with that sour look on your face?"

"Nothing," Seth bit out. "Get in the shower. I'll stick around to help you with the liniment, but then I've got to go."

"Okay," Aiden said easily, bad mood already forgotten. He was never able to hang onto much of a temper.

Seth watched, arms crossed, as Aiden wriggled out of the ridiculous jacket. He'd managed to work the stiff nylon halfway down one arm before he froze and sucked in a harsh breath. Seth was on him in an instant, gripping him gently by the arms to stop him from trying again.

"What's wrong?" Seth demanded, searching Aiden's strained expression.

Aiden chuckled. "Nothing. I'm just really fucking sore."

He tapped Seth on the chest to back him up, but Seth ignored him. He wrapped one arm around Aiden's waist, holding him still while he carefully worked his arms free of the jacket. Aiden's curls brushed his chin, smelling faintly of wood smoke and eucalyptus shampoo. Aiden wasn't short, but Seth had always enjoyed the way he slotted so perfectly against him. Tall enough to lean on but still able to tuck beneath his arm if he wanted. Perfectly imperfect.

"You're so reckless," Seth muttered under his breath. "I shouldn't have agreed to this in the first place."

"It's not your job to protect me from myself," Aiden said with a breathless laugh, but he cut it short with a hiss when his arm slipped free of the jacket.

"You need a keeper."

Aiden's eyes narrowed, and he bared his teeth in an unfriendly snarl. "Yeah? Is that why you ditched me right when times got tough? You were tired of playing babysitter?"

Seth's throat tightened. It took an act of willpower to unclench his jaw enough to say, "I didn't ditch you."

"Sure felt like it from where I stood," Aiden muttered, all prickles and thorns, but he still submitted without question when Seth nudged his chin up and began to unbutton his flannel shirt.

Fierce concentration was the only thing that stopped Seth's fingers from shaking. It was almost impossible to ignore how vulnerable the exposed skin of Aiden's throat looked beneath his collar. His chest was lean, muscled, and nearly hairless, a sharp contrast to Seth's body. His fingers itched to slip beneath the fabric and count the ridges in Aiden's flat stomach, but it was the last thing either of them needed. It had always been the last thing they needed.

"Nothing to say, huh?" Aiden taunted. "Thought so."

Seth swallowed and said thickly, "It wasn't that simple, Aiden."

"What's so complicated?" Aiden asked. "You spent all that time teaching me, bailing me out of trouble, coming to the rescue any time I needed it. Then you dropped me like a hot rock as soon as the shoe was on the other foot. I always…I always wondered if you blamed me."

"For what?" Seth asked sharply.

"I dunno," Aiden said, standing placidly beneath Seth's attention.

It didn't feel unusual for Seth to be helping him out of his clothes. After all, he could barely move his arm, and they'd been that close once. Boundaries had never been much of a thing for Aiden—except one that Seth had never dared to cross.

"You wouldn't have been drinking that night if it weren't for me," Aiden admitted lamely. He couldn't meet Seth's eyes, so he dropped his gaze and worked the snap of his jeans one-handed, but not before Seth saw a flash of vague, helpless hurt in his expression. "It's just that I didn't want to be alone that night, you know? I'm a screw-up, I know that, but I never meant to drag you down with me, and—and?—"

Seth's heart gave such a powerful tug that he couldn't ignore it. He cupped Aiden's cheek, stroking his thumb over the faded bruise still lingering above his eyebrow, and said harshly, "That's not what happened."

Aiden went dead still. He didn't seem to be breathing, but then he blurted, "I don't even remember that night. Not much, anyway. I remember cracking open the bottle we got from Mom's cabinet, bedding down in the hay, and…you."

"What about me?"

"You were telling me that everything was going to be okay. You said I'd always have a home if you were around, and then—I think…I thought…"

His confusion and pain ate at Seth. When he couldn't bear to listen anymore, he cupped Aiden's face in both hands and kissed him. Aiden let out a startled noise, but Seth swallowed the sound, relishing the way it guttered into a muffled whimper instead. He cradled Aiden's head in his hands, tilting it just so and sinking into a kiss that felt like he'd waited a lifetime to try once more.

This, his mind whispered fiercely. This is what he'd been meant to be doing all along.

With the workout Aiden always gave his mouth, his lips should be tough, but they weren't. They were lush and giving. Seth played with the softness he found there, clinging, teasing, nipping the cushion of his bottom lip and sucking it gently between his teeth. When Aiden gasped, Seth took the chance to slip his tongue inside his mouth. He coaxed Aiden's tongue into a playful tangle, licking the hint of cheap beer from his mouth and tasting the sweetness beneath it. One taste, and he was ravenous. He didn't think he'd ever be able to stop.

His hands dropped to Aiden's shirtless waist and pulled him close. Aiden's skin was warm, and his unbuttoned jeans had slipped low on his hips. All it would take was a small nudge, and the denim would pool around his knees. He'd be naked, and Seth could finally gorge himself on the sight. He could eat him alive with just his eyes and not be forced to pretend he wasn't looking.

Aiden was moaning, plastering his body up against Seth's and winding his arms around Seth's neck—or trying. He aborted the motion halfway, freezing in agony. Seth released him as soon as he felt him tense, but he didn't get far. Aiden was still clutching his shirtfront for balance.

"Yeah, that," Aiden gasped, sounding dazed. He licked his swollen lips. "I thought I remembered that."

Seth couldn't resist cupping his jaw and kissing him gently, just once more, before releasing him. He'd never get another chance. "You need that shower," he said quietly, "and I need to go."

"Shower with me," Aiden suggested, faking a leer that faded almost instantly beneath the weight of his uncertainty. A man like Aiden was used to fooling around; he didn't know how to act when it felt this real.

Seth shook his head, full of regret and desperate, desperate longing.

"That would be a mistake," he said reluctantly.

Then he watched as the light in Aiden's eyes died.