Page 104 of Cross the Line

“No,” Alec whispers, struggling with the sudden feeling of emptiness.

“Are you sure?”

Unsure how to explain, Alec nods.

“Good. Just…stay here. Let me clean up.”

What Alec wants to do is make a joke about being the best lay Theo’s ever had, but somehow all that comes out his mouth is a soft, “Okay.”

He tries not to think too hard about what Theo might be thinking, but now that his mouth is empty, his brain is back on its bullshit. So much so that it takes him by surprise when a warm cloth presses against his stomach.

“Sorry, I thought you saw me coming.”

“Of course I did,” Alec lies.

“So I didn’t fuck your brains out, then?” Theo teases, wiping up the mess Alec made of himself.

“Think awfully highly of yourself, don’t you, Theodore?”

“Kinda hard not to with you looking all fucked out in my bed.” The tips of Theo’s ears go red as he spends far more time than strictly necessary running the cloth over Alec’s belly, which must be clean by now. “Was it, uh, okay?”

A hint of Theo’s insecurity is all it takes for Alec’s to disappear.

“Are you trying to ask if you were the best fuck of my life? Because listen, there was a lot of competition.” Alec lifts his hand, waggling his fingers. “These babies got a lot of practice.”

Silent laughter makes Theo’s chest shake and goddamn, happiness looks good on him. There’s nothing more Alec enjoys than making the people he cares about happy. And Theo, he wishes he could make him happiest of all.

“Alright fine,” Alec sighs dramatically. “You’ve pulled it out of me. You and your demanding ways. If you must know, you were at the top of my list. Ten out of ten fuck. Can’t promise you’ll stay at the top though. You’ll have to work hard to stay there. My expectations are now exceedingly high, you know?”

“You with high expectations? Shocking.”

“Fuck off.” Alec laughs, rolling onto his side to watch Theo walk towards the bathroom. He tosses the discarded washcloth into a laundry basket and flicks the bathroom light off.

“I think—” but his words are cut off when a tiny ball of black streaks by. “Well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes!” Alec grins, his smile wide when Rio butts her head against Alec’s cheek. “I missed you too, pretty girl.”

“I’m sorry,” Theo whispers, dropping down onto the other side of the bed.

“Nope, no more sorry. That’s over now.”

“But—”

“No,” Alec interrupts. He doesn’t want to talk about it again. He knows why Theo did what he did, and he knows Theo means it when he says he’s sorry. That’s all Alec needs. He’d much rather focus on his blissful post-orgasm haze than feelings that make his insides feel like being stuck on an upside down roller coaster.

“She missed you,” Theo says, moving to sit cross-legged. He’s still naked, his cock soft between his thick thighs.

“I'm an easy man to miss.”

“You are,” Theo whispers.

“Does that mean you missed me?” Alec asks, running his fingers across Rio’s back. She’s settled herself near his face, her purring soothing away the nerves that are rising in Alec. Asking that question was far too close to what Alec really wants to know.

“I always miss you.”

And that right there is far too close to what Alec wants to hear. Losing his virginity didn’t even make Alec as nervous as he is now.

“Guess you’ll have to keep me around then.” Alec tries to tease, but his tone comes out far too unsure for his own liking.

“Alec.”

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