Page 34 of What I've Tasted of Desire

“Winters,” Alex told the woman with a smile. “Alex Winters.”

She nodded and typed his name into the computer. “Two rooms for a three-night stay. Checking out on Thursday?”

Alex nodded.

“Great. I’ll just need a credit card on file for incidentals.”

I pulled my Visa card out of my wallet to hand to the receptionist. “Wait, you already paid for the room?” I looked over at Alex, my brain finally catching up to what the woman had said.

Alex gave me a thumbs up and a small smile.

Fucking adorable.

“I was going to pay for them, Alex,” I told him reproachfully. “It was my idea.”

Something about Alex paying for our stay discomfited me tremendously. His means were so poor, and I could comfortably handle the bill. His generosity stung me. I would have to watch for it in the future. Be quicker on the draw.

He shrugged, and I shook my head as I handed the woman my card. “You are not allowed to pay for anything else while we are here, okay?”

“If y-you insist.”

“I have you in adjoining rooms, non-smoking,” she said. “Is that all right?”

Adjoining rooms… with Alex. Yeah, lady. That sounds just fucking perfect!

Once we were in the elevator, I looked over and met Alex’s eye. “C’mere.”

I leaned down and brushed my lips against his, and his eyes fluttered closed. “I wanted to kiss you in the elevator,” I told him as the doors opened again to let us out on the fifth floor.

Alex stopped in front of room 505 and scanned his key. I walked to the next door and scanned mine. With my arms full, I used my elbow to turn the handle and my shoulder to push the door open. The room was nice. It had a large bed in the center of the room with silky-looking sheets. God, Alex would look amazing lying across it. Nothing but that fabric against his velvet skin. I wanted to memorialize the image of him like that, in this room. I wonder if I could hire a portrait painter to come here and do it.

I set the bags down on the bed and stepped into the bathroom to take a piss. It was massive! A nice walk-in shower and a separate claw foot bathtub.

Plenty of room for two…

Once I was finished, I headed towards the adjoining door separating mine and Alex’s rooms and knocked softly.

Alex opened the door and gave me a small smile. I brought my hand up to my mouth and cleared my throat in an exaggerated gesture before speaking like an old stuffy British butler. “Sir, I just wanted to make sure everything was up to your liking this evening.” I straightened out and craned my neck up, and held my arm folded in front of me as if there were a hand towel draped across it.

Alex giggled, and we bantered back and forth for a minute before he stepped aside and allowed me entry.

“Oh, I almost forgot…” I turned around and walked back into my room to grab Alex’s bag and handed it to him.

“Thanks.”

I nodded. “Have you seen the bathroom yet?”

“Not yet.”

“It’s incredible! This isn’t something that I normally admit, because it goes against my tough-guy aesthetic, but I do love to take a bath now and then. And this bathroom looks like a fucking spa.”

Alex smiled and walked into the bathroom to check it out. “Wow.” Alex stood next to me gazing at the tub, lost in thought.

Was he thinking about what I was thinking about?

After what felt like too long, I spoke. “There is a little café that’s open late just around the corner. The reviews say they have the best hot chocolate in the city. Care to join me?”

I wasn’t ready to go to sleep, and I was far too nervous about staying cooped up in this room with him at the moment.

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