Wild Raspberries Read Online Free PDF Page B

this time, okay?”
    Tyler shrugged. “I’ll be right here waiting.” There was a subtle emphasis on the last word that seemed to say it wasn’t something he was good at, so Dan should hurry.

Chapter Four
    When Dan had gone inside, Tyler let himself relax into the pain. More than just his ankle and hand was hurting, but he hadn’t felt the need to share that with the boy, not when Dan’s nerves were like shredded Kleenex. The last thing he felt like dealing with now was an emotional meltdown from a stranger.
    He started at the top and worked his way down, cataloguing the damage. His head was okay; he hadn’t bumped it. Neck and shoulders were stiff, though. His ribs… he took a deep, slow breath and winced. Cracked one or two, by the feel of it, and his ass was going to be bruised.
    It could’ve been worse; the way he’d fallen, with the control and grace of a sack of potatoes, he was lucky it wasn’t much worse. He’d been distracted; the sudden pain from the glass slicing his skin, and the way Dan was staring at him, curious and hungry, a mix of bold and timid…
    It hadn’t taken long for Dan to show an interest, but as far as Tyler was concerned, the boy was off-limits. Abused, skinny, twitchy… Dan was damaged, and Tyler wasn’t interested in being added to the list of men who’d inflicted that hurt.
    And for all that Dan had been eyeing him speculatively — and, yeah, he’d stretched and flexed just to see what would happen — Tyler wasn’t even sure Dan leaned that way when it wasn’t necessary. He’d learned early on that when it came to sex, fear could be enough of an aphrodisiac to let a man perform or endure.
    He stared at the cabin. How long did it take to find some keys? If Dan had gone snooping… There was nothing in plain view in his bedroom, with the exception of the computer, but, hell, everyone had one of those. His had once been top of the line, but two years had changed that, so it wouldn’t raise eyebrows now — and most of the upgrades were buried deep, where you’d need more computer savvy than Dan probably had to find them.
    Tyler still didn’t want Dan to start wondering just how he’d spent the time that Dan was asleep and get to thinking that it’d including tracking him just to make sure he was what he seemed to be.
    “Got them,” Dan called out as he appeared in the doorway. He held the keys up as proof and then locked the door and walked over to Tyler, the keys jangling in his hand. Tyler, who had been taught how to hold a bunch of keys so that they made no noise at all, winced out of habit and then gave him a nod. He began to get up, the ice bag clutched in his hand.
    “Hey!” Dan closed the gap between them with a few long strides. “Lean on me, before you fall over or something.”
    “I’m not in the habit of falling over when I’m stone cold sober.”
    “You’re probably not in the habit of hopping a long way, either,” Dan retorted, and slid his arm around Tyler’s waist.
    Tyler counted silently to three and then, when Dan showed no sign of taking the hint, grudgingly draped his arm across Dan’s shoulders. “This way.”
    “Yeah, I saw the truck from the roof.” Dan didn’t seem to be having much problem supporting part of Tyler’s weight, so Tyler leaned on him a little more.
    Hop. Hop. Each one sent a shock of pain through him. He gritted his teeth and concentrated on not curling his fingers reflexively into Dan’s shoulder.
    “Nearly there.”
    “I can do without the running commentary.” Speaking had been a bad idea; Tyler could hear the way his words were squeezed out like toothpaste, and from the sidelong glance Dan gave him, so could the kid.
    “Want to wait here and I’ll drive the truck closer?”
    “No.” The ground here was level and firm under the covering of grass and wild flowers he never bothered to mow, and Dan could have easily driven the truck across it, but he was damned if he was going to give in to injuries this