Page 115 of Trade Deadline

He rests his forehead on mine. His eyes are full of gratitude and love, glistening with unshed tears.

“Thank you,” he whispers again.

“You’re welcome, baby.” I smile. “I’d do anything for you, you know that. If you asked me to find you a leopard-printed dinosaur with a unicorn horn, I’d go to the ends of the earth to find you one. Whatever you ask me, I’ll give it to you in a heartbeat.”

And I mean every fucking word.

He might not let me help him with money, but I can show him I’m there to support him in other ways.

Need help to run the shop? I’m there.

Need me to hold him all night and whisper sweet nothings in his ear? I’ll be there in a nanosecond.

I want to make him laugh and smile every day, for all the days I’m on this earth. I want to be the one who makes him smile all the fucking time, and I will do anything to make sure that happens.

Thirty-Six

Alex

I let outa low whine into my pillow when the soft beep of my alarm echoes through the silent room. I quickly switch it off so it doesn’t wake up Blaine.

Waking up at 4 a.m. isn’t something I’ve gotten used to yet, despite doing it for so long. I gently pry myself out of Blaine’s hold and tiptoe into the en-suite bathroom, quietly closing the door behind me so the shower doesn’t wake him up.

He has a week off from games with it being All Star weekend; for some reason, he declined his invite. When I asked him why, he simply shrugged and said he had better things to do. With how sore I am, I’m starting to realize what he meant.

Standing under the hot spray of the shower, I close my eyes and relish in the warm sensation seeping into my bones. It’s been snowing for over a month now, and Blaine has been non-stop complaining about the cold.

I’m about to pour some shower gel into my hands when the shower door opens, and Blaine appears through the steam. His eyes are small and sleepy, and his face has sleep lines from the pillow.

“Morning, baby.” His voice is thick and raspy, and the sultry sound goes straight to my cock.

He steps under the spray with me, wrapping his arms around my waist and pressing his face into the crook of my neck. The heat of his morning erection warms the crease of my ass as he pulls me flush to his chest.

“I’m sorry, did I wake you?” I ask, tilting my head back slightly to lean against his shoulder.

He shakes his head, pressing a kiss just below my ear.

“No, I’m gonna come in with you today and help you out.”

Surprised by his admission, I turn around in his arms and wrap my hands around his neck.

“But… It’s your week off. Don’t you want to relax and have some downtime?”

He shakes his head again, his eyes blink slowly, still heavy with sleep, and takes my lips in a gentle kiss.

“No, the only thing I want to do is be with you, and I don’t think kidnapping you will gain me any points with your brother.”

We laugh.

While Jacob’s definitely warmed up to him, Blaine continues to make an effort, showing my brother that he isn’t like the jerks he knew in high school or the idiots I dated back in college.

“I figured I’d come and help out. I was an awesome cake server person last time. It’ll be fun,” he says.

I’m at a loss of words. There’s so much emotion bubbling in my chest: gratitude, adoration, love.

I whisper “thank you” before kissing him again. His hands glide over my body, moving down my lower back and squeezing the globes of my ass.

“We don’t have time for that,” I murmur against his lips. “Jacob will kill us both if we’re not there at five.”

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