Page 68 of Cross the Line

Eyes still shut, Alec gulps down the remainder of his drink in one go. Once it’s gone and the cup deposited on an empty table nearby thanks to his dance partner, Alec’s movements grow wilder. The man he’s dancing with gets handsier, pulling Alec’s hips closer until Alec’s writhing against his leg, damn near humping it. Not once does Alec open his eyes, lost in his own world as he rolls his hips and throws his head back.

Without warning the man leans down, drawing his tongue along the hollow of Alec’s throat while he digs his hands into Alec’s ass, trying to shove his finger in places he definitely didn’t get permission for.

Theo’s up and moving before Alec’s eyes have even opened. When they do, a frown mars his face and he attempts to step back, but he’s once again prevented from doing so by the hands on Alec’s ass.

“Where do you think you're going, baby?” the man says in a disturbingly saccharine tone.

“Who the fuck said you could call me baby or lick me?” Alec asks, giving him a hard shove and spinning on his heels, crashing directly into Theo’s chest. “Fuck you, I—oh, it’s you.”

“It’s me,” Theo says, unsure what to do with Alec now that he’s got him.

“Where’s Hunter?”

“Oh, he told me to tell you he left. I don’t think the club is his scene.”

Alec nods, accepting the news easily. Maybe he’s not as surprised as Theo assumed he’d be. “S’hot,” Alec grumbles, blowing his hair out of his eyes. His curls are hanging heavy, clinging to his forehead while rivulets of sweat drip down his neck. The neck another man just had his mouth on. “I’m thirsty. I need a drink.”

“I feel like maybe you’ve had enough.”

“What are you, the alcohol monitor?” Alec asks, blinking up at Theo with those big eyes of his. They’re brown, the color so deep and warm Theo could get lost in them. He knows over the years people have commented on his own blue eyes being special, but as far as Theo is concerned, Alec’s eyes aren’t just his favorite color, they’re the color of everything grounding and safe and beautiful. They’re the very color of the earth itself if Theo dug his hands into the soil and let it cling to his fingertips.

“Just worried about you,” Theo admits.

“I knew you cared about me.” Alec grins, swaying into Theo’s personal space. He lays his palms on Theo’s chest, patting him. “Big, big softie. So big.”

Theo inhales sharply, watching as Alec toys with the button at the center of his chest. “Theo, will you dance with me?”

More than anything, Theo wants to say yes. He wants to let his hands wander, for his own hands to be the ones wrapped around Alec’s waist. He wants to be the guy standing so close he can feel the thrum of excitement when Alec sways his hips, feel the thud of his heartbeat if they were to be pressed chest to chest. He wants to trail his own mouth down the curve of Alec’s throat and taste the sweat and leftover fruity drink that clings there. He wants to devour Alec the way those other men had, and it makes him just as bad as they are.

“I, uh?—”

“It’s okay,” Alec says, smiling despite the flicker of hurt in his eyes. He pats Theo’s chest. “I’ll find someone else to dance with.”

Theo’s hand flies out, his fingers curling around Alec’s wrist. He’s never held Alec’s wrist before and he didn’t realize exactly how delicate it might look in his much larger hand.

“What are you doing?”

“You need to be careful.”

“I can handle myself, Theodore.” Alec grins, his eyes crinkling in the corners as he tries to step away, but Theo doesn’t let go. He can’t.

“They only want one thing, Alec.”

Alec’s body goes rigid and when he turns to face him, the smile is long gone. “So?”

“So, that’s not what you want.”

“How would you know what I want?”

“I was there in the kitchen,” Theo reminds him. “I know?—”

“You—” Alec pokes Theo in the chest. “Don’t.” He pokes him harder. “Know anything.”

“You don’t want to fuck some random guy in a club,” Theo says, shocked at his own boldness. “I know that much.”

Alec’s inhale shudders. “Well, the person I want doesn’t want me, so what the fuck does it matter what I want?”

“Alec, they’re gonna take advantage of you.” I want to take advantage of you, he thinks, knowing exactly why he can’t dance with him. Theo’s not built for relationships and even if he was, it’s clear Alec is in love with someone else, which is yet one more reason Theo needs to be careful. “Just don’t dance with them.”

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