Page 33 of Mated to the Human: Volume One

“Cane—” Jake started, only to suck in a breath when Cane glided a hand down his back and over the firm swell of his ass.

Pressing forward, Cane kissed him. Jake’s cheek bumped his eye, and he couldn’t stop the small hiss that escaped at the jolt of pain the touch caused.

“You should be sleeping,” Jake said, lips moving against Cane’s other cheek like he couldn’t bear to pull away completely, but he also didn’t want to aggravate Cane’s abused body anymore.

“It’s just some bruises,” Cane told him, settling his head back down on the pillow. He couldn’t read all the nuances of Jake’s expression in the dim room but could see the exasperation well enough. Not that he really had room to argue. His eyes didn’t want to stay open. He’d been almost completely out when Jake came back from Calliope’s.

“I’m not going anywhere, you know,” Jake whispered, pressing a firmer kiss to the corner of Cane’s mouth. “Sleep.”

He was right, of course. What Cane wasn’t sure about was whether he’d still want him in his bed if sleeping was all that was going to occur. He’d shown Cane to the guest room earlier that night. Said he wasn’t expecting anything. The only reason Cane had gone along with it was because he knew he’d be leaving for the fight, and not being in the same room with Jake made that easier. “Do you want me to move to the other bed?”

He didn’t answer right away. Rolling to his back, he held out his arm. “No, I want you to stay right here.”

Cane slid toward him. Jake slipped his outstretched arm beneath Cane’s neck and guided him to rest with his head on Jake’s chest.

“Just sleep,” Jake said, running his fingers gently from the back of Cane’s head all the way down his back and up again.

The soothing sweep of Jake’s hand was hypnotic. Cane was out before he’d completed a third pass.

* * *

“I cannot believe you’d do this to me.” Mayor Harding seethed through the phone. “Do you know the strings I had to pull to keep them from arresting you for even being at those fights!”

Dropping his head back against the side of the Paranormal Council Building, Cane sighed. He wanted a cigarette even though he hadn’t smoked in a couple years. It made cardio that much harder, and as much as he’d loved smoking, he loved fighting more.

“Did you sigh at me? Maybe next time I won’t bother bailing you out.”

Yeah, he’d heard that before. There was no way she’d let her image take the hit of him in handcuffs on the six o’clock news. He wouldn’t even be fighting in the underground if it wasn’t for her. “Then don’t, Mom. Don’t bail me out.”

She sputtered before hissing, “Don’t tempt me.” The phone went silent.

Lowering his hand, he looked at his home screen. It wasn’t the first time she’d hung up on him, only the latest. He’d been off work for about ten minutes now and still hadn’t mustered up the courage to get on the bus back towards Jake’s.

He’d woken alone yesterday morning, but Jake hadn’t gone far. He’d made breakfast, lunch, and dinner for Cane. Waking him from the many naps he’d taken as his body got itself together. They slept together again last night, too. Then he’d left Jake at the apartment this morning to come for this dumb job he didn’t want. But it did pay well and could possibly help him get out from under his mother’s control. It was the only reason he was there.

His phone buzzed in his hand. His heart leapt in his chest when he saw Jake’s name on the screen. “Hey.”

“Hey, you off work?”

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“Um, I wanted…well, I wanted—”

Cane chuckled. “Dude, spit it out.”

Jake huffed. “I wondered if you wanted to go out to dinner. With me.”

Warmth like the sun rising burst in Cane’s chest. He chuckled. “As opposed to some other guy I’ve been cuddling bare-assed with.” He swore he could feel the heat from Jake’s blush through the phone.

Jake sighed the sigh of the long-suffering. “I’d prefer if it was just me and you, thanks.”

Cane smiled again, softer this time. “I think I’d prefer it that way, too.”

“Can I come pick you up?”

“Sure. I’m outside the council building.”

“Good. So am I.”

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