Page 67 of Cross the Line

“Just wow,” Hunter answers, taking another slow sip of his drink. “You’re not what I expected.”

“I have no idea if that’s a good thing or a bad thing,” Theo replies, utterly confused by this kid.

“Me either,” he shrugs, so utterly honest Theo can’t even be offended. “This beer is shit, by the way.”

“People don’t really come here for the quality of drinks,” Theo admits.

“So why do they come here?”

“To meet someone, usually.”

“And you brought Alec?”

“Well, me and Jason.”

“So you and Alec’s big brother brought Alec to a queer club to meet someone.”

“That’s…no,” Theo shakes his head.

“So you don’t want him to meet someone?” Hunter asks, his level of eye contact slightly jarring.

Somehow that feels like a trick question and Theo’s anxiety spikes, his limit for small talk reached. He takes a step backward, mentally rehearsing his sentence before he blurts out, “I’m gonna go look for Alec and get a drink.”

“Can you tell Alec I bailed?” Hunter yells.

Theo pauses, turning around with a frown. “Won’t he miss you?”

“I don’t think I’m the one he came for,” Hunter says, closing the distance between them and passing Theo his beer.

“Do you need a ride?”

“I can call an Uber. Don't worry about it. Just be careful with him.” The warning is reminiscent of Jason’s but there’s something softer there. Where Jason’s warning was loud, Hunter’s is quiet, the implications far more subtle.

“I thought you said he could protect himself.”

“Just because he can doesn’t mean he will. See you later, Theo.”

With that, Theo is left alone for the second time tonight, confused and out of sorts and still eager to reassure himself of Alec’s well-being. As Hunter’s words echo in his head, he heads to the bar, but it’s more crowded than before. The reason for that becomes clear when Theo pushes himself closer and sees half a dozen men watching Alec. What they’re watching he isn’t sure, until the bartender slides over a shot glass, a lemon wedge, and salt shaker.

“Alec.” Theo snaps his mouth shut, wondering why he seems to have no control over his words or feelings around Alec anymore.

Alec’s head swivels towards Theo and he grins, that playful smirk back in place. He mouths a hello before lifting his hand. There’s a half a second where Theo forgets how to breathe, watching Alec’s pretty pink tongue dart out to lick to spot between his thumb and forefinger, moistening it with his own saliva before he sprinkles salt. A few of the guys whistle and cheer, making Alec laugh.

“Hurry up,” someone yells, which earns the guy a middle finger from Alec and a chorus of laughter and barks from the people around him.

Undeterred by the positive and negative attention he’s gathering, Alec grabs the shot but pauses to lift his face to Theo. He holds his gaze for exactly three seconds before he winks, his smile hidden behind his hand as he licks off the salt he just put there. The people gathered make more lewd sounds and cheers when Alec takes the shot, sucking the lemon wedge dry before slamming the empty shot glass on the counter.

Not even ten seconds pass before one of the guys from the crowd leans in far too close to Alec. His body is angled into Alec’s space, his hands overly friendly as he curls one of them loosely around Alec’s wrist and moves his mouth to Alec’s ear. It’s too loud to hear what he says, but Alec slides off his barstool, taking the fruity drink the bartender slides him and holding it above his head to avoid spilling while he lets this new guy pull him to the dance floor.

Once Alec is gone, the group of people disperse quickly, half of them finding various positions at the bar while the rest slink off to the dance floor, leaving Theo alone again. He plops himself on one of the barstools at the end with a grunt, eyes boring holes on the throngs of people dancing. He sips at the beer Hunter gave him and sighs heavily. It is shit, bitter and weak, just like Theo’s rapidly souring mood.

Unlike before, Alec isn’t hidden away in the middle of the dance floor. This time he’s on the edge, sipping at his drink and laughing while the guy who brought him out there eye fucks Alec without an ounce of shame. His gaze is hungry, roaming over the lines of Alec’s pretty face and down to his stomach, most of it exposed with his arms overhead and his crop top lifted. There’s so much tanned skin, so many freckles and muscles. Though the guy's eyes wander, his hands remain firmly on Alec’s hips, swaying them side to side before pulling him closer between the spread of his long legs.

Much like the guy before this one is older, maybe twenty-five if Theo had to guess. His face is clean-shaven, his hair perfect, and his clothing all but painted on. He’s big, too, and Theo’s brain short circuits at the idea that Alec must have a type. Bigger. Older. Confident. Or maybe it’s a coincidence. Maybe those men have a type? Maybe they like them smaller and pretty like Alec, his body a juxtaposition of hard lines and muscles meeting delicate lips and hands.

When the man’s thumbs hook under the waistband of Alec’s boxers, Theo chokes on his beer. When Alec doesn’t pull away, he chokes on something else, the bile in his throat sour. Every part of Theo is screaming at him to turn away, to find something, anything, to distract himself. He doesn’t. He doesn’t look away. He can’t.

Whatever flip was switched in his brain can't be turned off. He can’t pretend Alexander King isn’t the most beautiful man he’s ever seen. Attractive without a doubt, but more than that, his confidence and personality shine brighter than every strobing light. Theo isn’t the only one who notices, the eyes of Alec’s dance partner and more than a few others nearby unmistakably on Alec as he moves his body freely.

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