Trusting Cade (Custos Securities Series Book 1)

by Luna, David

  Maya put her arm around his waist and began to help him to the door. Cade held it open for them and followed.

  Braden held onto the hand Maya placed at his waist and squeezed. “Thanks, My. Sorry about all this. What a disaster of a day.”

  Braden got a bit dizzy and then realized he was going to be sick. His steps faltered, he wobbled a bit and bent at the waist clutching his stomach. Cade was at his other side immediately, but he pushed them both away as he lurched to the gutter and in seconds, fell to his knees and lost the contents of his stomach. He felt Maya’s hands rubbing his back and what must have been Cade’s hands holding his hair out of the way. Because this whole situation wasn’t embarrassing enough, he needed every weakness he had to be displayed for this giant of a man who probably had never had any health issues his whole life and would never be remotely intimidated by some fan mail.

  Thoroughly humiliated, Braden’s voice shook. “God, I’m so sorry, you guys. Gimme a second and I’ll be ready to get up.”

  He thought he heard Cade whisper, “Fuck that.” And then, he was being lifted gently from his knees, picked up and carried against a huge, solid chest. He heard Cade whisper, “If you need to be sick again, just tell me and I’ll stop.”

  Braden began to shake in his arms, and Cade looked down at him and swore under his breath. What color he did have was slightly tinged green, and his eyes were shut, probably to keep out any light. Cade knew he must be in awful shape to allow himself to be carried. He hadn’t known Braden long, but already he knew that he most likely never asked for help and would have done almost anything to avoid being in this situation.

  Cade followed as Maya unlocked their front door, turned to the interior door on the left, took out her own keys and unlocked Braden’s door. All of the lights were on in his house, which Cade supposed attested to the fact that Braden thought the meds would kick in for him, and he’d come back home without pain. As she led him through Braden’s home, she turned off most of the lights to lesson his discomfort. In the bedroom she turned the dimmer light on as low as it could go so he could still see to put Braden down on his bed, but the light wouldn’t hurt his eyes. Braden moaned a bit and curled up in a ball facing away from them.

  Cade watched as Maya pulled Braden’s shoes off, covered him with a blue fleece blanket that had been folded at the foot of the bed, and led Cade out of Braden’s room and into his kitchen. “I’m gonna get him a cold compress and stay with him until he sleeps. Thanks for your help, Cade. I’ve got this. He could be awake for only 30 minutes or for as long as six hours with pain. He never knows how bad they will be, but I have a feeling this one’s been brewing, and he’s just been too distracted by this stalker to see the other warning signs that he’s usually able to catch fairly quickly. Stress makes his insulin spike, and he’s probably been compensating by increasing his dosages, but in doing so, he probably triggered the migraine.”

  Cade shook his head. “I’m not leaving him, Maya, it doesn’t matter how long it takes. First of all, I’m his protection detail. Second of all, every instinct I have is telling me to stay with him and take care of him, and I’m not one to ignore my instincts. You can go spend time with your brother and come back and check in, but I’m not going anywhere. Not when he’s in danger, and especially not when he’s in this much pain. Tell me what he needs and I’ll take care of it. Cold compress and what else?”

  Cade’s mind was reeling. He’d barely met this man and yet here he was, offering to take care of him. This was a first for him, but like he’d told Maya, everything within him was aching to help Braden, to make him feel better, take the utmost care with him. He wasn’t about to ignore such strong feelings. He felt an innate sense of responsibility for him and his well-being, and as strange as these new feelings were, they also felt right.

  The thought of Braden enduring six solid hours of pain made him want to punch something. He wondered how often this happened and what other symptoms he would have normally caught but didn’t because of this fan mail bullshit. He wanted to pummel someone, namely the stalker, but he also wanted to shake Braden for not taking better care of himself, even though he knew that wasn’t fair.

  Maya was scrutinizing him closely, looking for what, he could only imagine. She must have seen something that reassured her, because she nodded her head, as if coming to a conclusion. “I’ll go get Cooper settled into my place and come and check in on you guys in a bit. He won’t be able to work for a day or two, so I need to run next door and take our emergency pastry stash out of the freezer so that we have enough to tide us over for a couple days, if need be. I’m trusting you with him, so don’t fuck this up. He’s at his weakest right now and no matter how much he’d disagree, he needs help.”

  She opened up a drawer and took out a thin tea towel. “Take him the cold compress, wrapped in the towel. He’ll take it and put it where it feels best. Also, when it’s bad like this, putting pressure on his temples helps. So if you see him putting his fingers to his temple, he needs help putting pressure there and holding it there until he can sleep. That and the dark, quiet room is the most we can do for him at this point. Depending on how long the pain lasts, he’ll also experience what some people call a migraine hangover. He’ll be exhausted, possibly weak and light headed and won’t be able to concentrate much for another 24 hours or so after the migraine is finally gone.”

  Cade’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. “Shit, does this happen often? You know what? Never mind, we can talk more later, right now I just need to get back to him. You can trust me, and you know that, or you wouldn’t be leaving. If I could take away his pain, I would. I’ll do what you’ve asked and make sure he settles and sleeps no matter how long it takes.”

  It took hours, and the fact that it did killed Cade. Knowing that he couldn’t fix it, couldn’t do a damned thing to take away Braden’s pain, ate away at him. When he went back into Braden’s room he shut off all of the lights completely and waited for his eyes to adjust before he walked to the bed. He lay on his side behind Braden and reached around to put the cold compress on his head where he thought some of the pain might be gathered. Braden reached up weakly and murmured a thank you when he grabbed it and moved it slightly, to a more comfortable spot. Cade then got comfortable and lay down behind him and just waited to see if he needed anything.

  A minute later he saw Braden switch the ice to his left hand and put pressure on his right temple with his other hand. Cade lay back against the pillows and gently pulled Braden so that he was resting in the crook of his arm, and he took the compress from Braden’s hand and held it there for him. He glanced to his side and saw a smaller pillow, grabbed it and put it against Braden’s chest, putting his arm around the pillow. He removed Braden’s other hand from his temple and then replaced that with his own as well. After a few seconds Braden wrapped both arms around the small pillow, pulled it tightly to his chest and sighed. Feeling better once he watched Braden get more comfortable, he was able to relax as well. He stilled when he heard Braden’s voice. “Thanks, baby girl. I’m sorry for everything.”

  The fact that Braden thought it was Maya behind him, helping him, was probably for the best, though a selfish part of him wished Braden knew it was him. He certainly didn’t want to stress Braden out or make him feel uncomfortable. Thinking it was Maya was allowing him to lower his guard that he’d put in place in order to get through the night’s ordeal. Though Braden was more relaxed, Cade knew he wasn’t asleep, yet. After a while he removed the cold compress and set it aside. Braden moved around a little, trying to get more comfortable, which allowed Cade to adjust him so that he was lying more on Cade’s chest, freeing his arm and allowing him to gently run his fingers soothingly through Braden’s silky hair and rub gently at his temples with both hands. He continued on that way for what seemed like forever, massaging Braden’s temples and the rest of his head.

  Cade knew he was in too deep already when he realized there was nowhere on earth he would rather be at that moment. H
aving Braden in his arms, he was feeling more protective than he’d ever felt towards anyone in his life. Braden shifted against him and made some unintelligible sounds. They didn’t seem to be sounds of pain. He thought they might have been sounds of pleasure. He knew Braden was finally asleep when he turned over towards Cade, his head still resting high on Cade’s chest, and snuggled up against him. As soon as Braden started to move, Cade lifted both hands and waited until Braden found a comfortable position, before lowering his hands again; this time one on Braden’s back, caressing him lightly, the other still massaging his head gently. He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on Braden’s head and breathed him in, closing his eyes in contentment.

  A little while later Cade felt someone watching him and opened his eyes just enough to see Maya in the doorway. She’d come back to check up on Braden, he was sure, but from her expression she was a bit surprised to see them cuddled up close to one another. She’d turned on the light in the hallway, and he could tell that she was processing the scene before her. Cade relaxed a bit when she smiled at them. He was glad she didn’t seem upset that he was holding Braden so close, because honestly, if she was upset, he didn’t think it would have mattered much to him. He was feeling more possessive by the minute, as Braden lay cuddled in his arms, all soft and warm.

  His head rested lightly on Braden’s and he continued to watch Maya as she watched them. If he wasn’t mistaken, she wiped a tear from her eye as she finally approached them. The blanket she’d put on Braden earlier had been kicked down to his lower legs. She gently pulled it from him and then went about covering them both with it. He kept silent, not wanting to disturb Braden and not wanting Maya to know that he’d been observing her. Cade watched her walk from the room and found himself getting drowsy. He was out moments later, more relaxed and more at peace than he’d been in a long time.

  Braden woke up gradually and realized he was being held, and was holding someone in return. Thinking Maya must have stayed with him the night before, he opened his eyes and moved slowly to extricate himself from her without waking her up. He realized when looking at the gargantuan chest he’d been laying on that it wasn’t Maya after all, but Cade. Humiliation rushed through him when he thought about the previous night. He also waited for the panic to come after being in close proximity to such a big man, but strangely, it didn’t. He made to get up off the bed, and Cade grasped him gently by the wrist. Braden looked down into groggy, heavy lidded, ridiculously sexy blue eyes, and wondered how in the hell he’d missed them the day before.

  Cade gazed at him and asked in a quiet, sleepy whisper, “Hey, how are you feeling this morning?”

  The concern in Cade’s voice, hell, in his eyes, was real and just made Braden feel worse. He was so far from making a good impression on this man that it was almost comical. He didn’t quite understand why the guy hadn’t run in the opposite direction once all the drama started yesterday and then he realized with chagrin that Cade had promised to provide protection detail, so he was stuck.

  “I’m fine, Zavier. I don’t remember much after humiliating myself all over the gutter last night and you picking me up. Did I fall asleep in your arms? I’m so sorry you felt you had to sleep here. You didn’t have to put yourself out like that.”

  “No, Braden. Maya told me you needed to be in the dark and quiet and that an ice compress and helping massage your temples would help. She was going to do it, but I told her to get her brother settled in at her place and that I’d take care of you.”

  Braden still felt exhausted, regardless of the sleep he’d been able get. The echo of pain still reverberating through is body reminded him that the hangover was sometimes just as bad as the migraine itself. He rubbed his forehead, more than a little confused. “But, why would you do that? You don’t know me. You don’t need to feel responsible for me. Contrary to what you saw yesterday, I am actually very adept at taking care of myself and my health. I have to be. I guess I just finally hit a wall yesterday, and everything went to shit. I’m really sorry you felt like you had to stay with me.”

  Braden could tell he was being thoroughly assessed. Cade tilted his head, his gaze intense when he responded, “Do I look like the type of person that does anything he doesn’t want to do? You were hurting last night, and I wanted to help you. Is that so hard to believe? It felt right, taking care of you. You felt good in my arms, Braden. I don’t want your apologies, and I won’t apologize for doing what was right, what I wanted to do, and what you needed. You gonna be OK with that?”

  Was this guy for real? Who said that kind of stuff? Not to mention, he’d just met the man yesterday. Braden gazed down at Cade, who was still lying back on his pillows. He was a god. He was so huge he made Braden’s king sized bed seem small. He had dark hair cropped close to his head and a very short beard that made him look scruffy and rugged. He was in a fitted gray t-shirt and dark washed jeans that hung low on his hips, and he’d unbuttoned them sometime during the night. He realized that he never responded to Cade’s question, because he’d been too busy giving him a thorough once over. He felt his cheeks heat when he finally did respond.

  “I don’t know if I will be, to tell you the truth. I don’t know you, and you don’t know me, not really. We met each other yesterday afternoon, and I just woke up in my bed with you wrapped around me. That’s a lot to take in, Zavier. You’ve come at a time when the shit has hit the fan and things are falling down around me, and that’s so far from my norm that I’d be crazy if I didn’t feel a bit overwhelmed.”

  Cade sat up, which brought him even closer to Braden. Braden couldn’t help but breathe in his scent. Even after sleep, Cade smelled so good, some kind of sandalwood cologne, along with a natural manly scent that was an aphrodisiac in itself. Braden had never seen such a broad chest, huge shoulders, thick, muscular arms and massive hands. Those arms were works of art all by themselves, but add in the fact that both of them were sleeved with black ink, and Braden could barely look away.

  Braden knew he wasn’t a big man, hell, at 5’9” and no more than 150 pounds, he’d always felt slight; but Cade’s sheer size made him feel so small, it was almost ridiculous. One of those arms he had just been admiring reached towards him. Cade caressed the side of Braden’s face with his thumb, while his fingers combed into his hair. Braden’s eyes were drawn to Cade’s, and what he saw there was both tenderness and hunger. It was a combination that just about did Braden in.

  When Cade pulled his hand away, Braden nearly groaned at the loss. He glanced up as Cade spoke, his deep, rough voice buzzing along Braden’s nerve endings. “I can handle overwhelmed. We can work with that. Maya read me the riot act yesterday when she realized I was interested in you. And make no mistake about it, Braden; I’m very interested. She mentioned that you’d been hurt in past relationships, treated like shit. She also said, and I quote, ‘If you hurt him, I’ll kill you in your sleep.’ I don’t know the details; she didn’t share them with me, and I’d much rather hear them from you. Just know that because of that, I’m going to be extremely forthright with you from the get go, because I don’t want there to be any confusion.”

  Cade reached over and trailed a finger down Braden’s arm and gently clasped his hand in his own much bigger one. “I’m going to tell you exactly what I told Maya yesterday, so that you understand what I’m feeling. When I walked into your kitchen yesterday and saw you talking with Maya, everything else in that room went fuzzy. All I could see was you: your silky, long hair, pulled back in that leather strip, your strong smooth jawline and your beautiful lips. You’re thin, but I know from what Maya said about your running that you’re in amazing shape. I’ve never been so physically drawn to someone in my life. Something in me recognized something in you. I don’t know how else to describe it. I have no idea what will happen with us. I don’t know if we’ll even get along, frankly, but I really want to find out, because this attraction I feel for you is so strong I’m having a hard time keeping my hands off of you. Because of that, not to
mention the fact that I can see you’re still in pain and exhausted from your migraine, I’m gonna go find my bag, take a shower and give you some time to yourself. We’ll talk more over breakfast.”

  Cade placed his other hand gently on Braden’s neck, his thumb lightly caressing his jaw. He leaned forward and kissed Braden on the temple and was on his way out of the room before Braden could react.

  Braden had never had anyone talk to him like that. He was glad Cade had left, because he couldn’t have responded to him if he’d tried. Feeling like shit, but knowing he needed to get up and check his glucose levels, he pushed to his feet, ignored the residual dizziness, and trudged to the bathroom to the testing kit he kept at home. After giving himself an injection, he realized he needed to eat something quick to get himself back in line.

  Hearing the shower running, he knew he’d be missing breakfast with Cade. He was half relieved and half disappointed by that fact, but he knew he couldn’t wait. He grabbed several quick breakfast-on-the-go snacks he kept for mornings where he needed to recover from a migraine and trudged back to his bed. He ate quickly, not feeling like eating at all but knowing he had to, and was thinking about getting up to shower when he decided he’d just rest for a couple minutes. Maybe if he did that, the migraine hangover would go away.

  After his shower, Cade headed toward the kitchen. He had just made some coffee when Maya walked in. He raised his eyebrows at the coffee he’d ground, and she shook her head. “No, I’m good thanks; I’ll have some at the cafe. I’m going over there to get things ready to open up, but wanted to check on Braden. I’ve got some extra help coming in today, so that I can be available to Braden if he needs it. Most likely he’ll sleep a lot today.”