Page 31 of Courting Danger

Roan sighed, took apart another chicken strip, and spent way more time than was necessary dunking and eating thepieces before he answered, so Danger decided to forge ahead and see how things went.

“Do you think those boys were just given thoseproperty oftags because their daddies like fucking them and wanted everyone else to keep their hands off?” Danger asked. “Because there is much more to it than that. They forged a bond and went through a bunch of shit together to get where they are in their relationship. It’s not about wandering around finding someone who will pay attention to you, because chances are, it’ll be a fleeting attraction that ends with you being right back where you were but sadder and even more desperate.”

“But it could grow into something more,” Roan insisted, peering up at him with a hopefulness Danger had started seeing since the night they’d spent in the dungeon with Pope.

Before that, Roan had always been careful to guard his emotions, offering only boredom, and cold indifference, which had rapidly soured Danger’s opinion of him. Seeing him appear vulnerable, the way he had when he’d stretched out on the table in front of Pope, made Danger pause and take his time answering while he dissected his own chicken strip.

“Yes, it could if the people involved come to care about one another,” Danger explained. “Which isn’t always the case. Sometimes it’s just about sex, which is fine too, but not everyone has an open relationship, and some of the boys aren’t willing to share their Daddies with someone they don’t like. You’d have an easier time getting the attention you crave if you’d heed my words, slow down, and take time to build connections with people.”

Another heavy sigh, another shredded chicken strip. Roan dunked a piece and swirled it around in the sauce before sighing again. Danger got it and chuckled, even when Roan raised his head and narrowed his eyes at him, some of the old coldness back.

“I get it,” Danger said, holding up his hand before Roan let his ruffled feathers say something that would leave them even more ruffled when Danger was forced to discipline him.

Recalling the way his boots had felt sticky against the otherwise gleaming floorboards on his way in here, Danger already had just the task in mind if Roan started smarting off.

“I don’t have much patience either,” Danger admitted, once he was certain Roan wasn’t going to try to talk over him. “And not getting what I want makes me downright grumpy. It sucks sometimes. Watching others have what you want and not knowing how to get it. You want to take it from them, thinking it will fill the hole eating away inside you, but it won’t. Trust me on that.”

“Why don’t you have anyone?” Roan blurted.

“Well, right now I have you,” Danger explained, attempting to skirt the question.

“Yeah, but you agreed to train me because you weren’t attached to anyone,” Roan pointed out. “Almost everyone here is attached to someone, so why weren’t you?”

Danger admired his tenacity, even if it wasn’t a question he was prepared to answer right now.

“Noticed something interesting when I was watching your swim session this morning,” Danger said, steering the conversation where he wanted it to go.

“What’s that?” Roan replied, eyebrows drawing together until furrows appeared on his forehead.

Yeah, he hadn’t missed what Danger had done. Now to see if he let it go.

“You are making a hell of a lot of progress,” Danger admitted. “When you and Ocean aren’t making out.”

Roan shrugged but never looked away. Good, he shouldn’t be ashamed of making an honest connection with someone.

“Keep it up and you’ll be surfing with us in no time.”

“When do I get to watch you?” Roan asked. “Didn’t Doc take your stitches out a couple days ago?”

“He did,” Danger admitted. “So how does tomorrow sound?”

“Cool,” Roan replied. “The more I watch, the more I’ve noticed that everyone has a different style, kind of like with freestyle motocross. Some of the tricks and maneuvers are the same, but everyone has a different way of pulling them off.”

“You watch motocross a lot?”

“When I can.”

“There’s an event coming up in a few weeks,” Danger said. “I’m sure you’ve seen the flyers around town.”

“Yeah, I um, thought about getting a ticket, but I wasn’t sure if I’d be free that night.”

“And you didn’t want to ask me because…”

“You were still pissed off at me,” Roan admitted.

Nodding, Danger had to admit that he probably wouldn’t have asked either if he were Roan, with as much trouble as he’d gotten into the past few weeks.

“Well, we’re beyond that now, and I don’t see us getting back to that point as long as you don’t go stirring up shit, so if you’re still interested, I’ve already got some tickets a buddy handed off to me. You’re welcome to one.”