Page 60 of His Secret Betrayal
Yeah, if seeing me at his dad’s kitchen table is shocking, then I don’t think he’s ready to see me on his lap yet.
Baby steps.
Alek peers over his shoulder, nodding at Caleb, whose jaw is currently on the floor. Seriously, he’s going to catch a fly in that thing soon. “Hey, kiddo! What brings you by? You want a pancake?”
Caleb stutters. “I—um…”
Alek’s smile looks forced and maybe a little nervous as Caleb’s eyes dart from Alek, back to me. A little wrinkle appears in his forehead, and that’s when I realize—
Oh, shit.
Alek isn’t wearing a shirt.
Alek who normally goes to great lengths to hide his body—that fucking magnificent body. It should be a crime to cover up something so damn gorgeous. Those scars don’t make him ugly. If anything, they show how damn resilient he is. If it were up to me, it would be illegal for Alek Cromwell to wear clothes, but Caleb is now giving me aslightly suspicious expression that’s making me sweat. I feel like a kid that just got caught with his hand in a cookie jar.
To be clear, Alek is the cookie jar.
Is it too late to jump out the window?
“Luke, what are you doing here?” Caleb asks, taking a seat next to me.
I rub the back of my neck. “Um, yeah, I know it’s weird…”
A plate of steaming pancakes appears under my nose, thumping onto the kitchen table a little harder than necessary. Seconds later, a plate appears in front of Caleb, then a third plate at Alek’s seat across from me, and a bottle of syrup. “He needed a place to stay for a few days,” Alek says, sounding mostly nonchalant, but there’s an undercurrent of tension.
Caleb scrunches his eyebrows, looking at me. “At my dad’s house?”
“Yup.” I drown my fluffy pancakes in syrup, quickly stuffing a large bite into my mouth. When my cheeks bulge, Alek rolls his eyes.
“Um…why?”
Because I like to ride your dad’s cock.
One glance towards Alek’s face tells me he hasn’t thought of a feasible lie yet. Swallowing my mouthful of pancakes, I figure the best way to salvage this situation and throw Caleb off our scent is to give him a partial truth. And honestly, it’s a long time coming. He’s my best friend, and one of the few I have left if I’m being honest. After a while, when you continuously fuck off, disappear, and ignore people with nothing more than lame ass excuses, they tend to feel unwanted. I’m tired of keeping secrets from everybody I care about.
I swallow, suddenly not feeling hungry. “I got into an argument with Evelyn. My, uh, sorta roommate.”
Caleb shoots a perplexed expression towards his dad, who says nothing, before swinging his gaze back to me. “Who’s Evelyn? I thought your roommate was a grumpy, old dude.”
I sigh. “Um, about that. I actually live with my mo—she’s my…” Fuck, a lump forms in my throat when the words won’t come. Why is that word so hard to say? It’s just three insignificant letters.
When Alek clears his throat, I swing my gaze in his direction. His expression is soft and understanding, and if Caleb weren’t here, I would be seriously tempted to crawl into his lap. There’s a silent question in his eyes, and the fact that I understand what he’s seeking permission for is a testament to how well we’re getting to know each other. I slump with relief and give him a subtle nod.
“Evelyn is his birth mother,” Alek says quietly.
There’s a long pause of silence, Caleb studying me thoughtfully while I resist the urge to squirm. Something like hurt flashes across his face, there one second and quickly gone. He shakes his head. “I thought she was dead. None of this is making sense to me.”
Taking a deep breath, I tell him everything. A mix of emotions flash across his face as I tell the story, but mostly he looks shocked and speechless. When I tell him how Stoney hit me, how Evelyn took his side, he clenches his jaw. I even tell him how I lost my shit at work, how Alek found me in a supply closet, and offered to let me stay at his house. I do, however, leave off the part where he dicked me so good I slept like a baby afterwards. I also don’t mention that his dad’s foot is currently rubbing up and down my calf under the table, soothing me even now.
Caleb exhales heavily. “Fuck, dude. I’m sorry I wasn’t there. If I had known…” He shakes his head, looking lost in thought.
For a moment, I regret not telling him sooner. I can trust Caleb. I know I can, so why did I carry it all by myself? Because she made me?What right does she have to demand that of me? “Look, I’m sorry. I should have told you, and I really wish I had.”
“No, it’s okay, man. That was your story to tell, and it was none of my business until you were ready for me to know. I’m sorry if I made you feel pressured to tell me just now, it’s just…” He chuckles. “…kind of weird to see you both having breakfast together.”
For a moment, his eyes land on the scars that cross along the top of Alek’s shoulders and narrow. I tense as he gazes back and forth between us with a contemplative expression, and Alek purses his lips.
Just as he opens his mouth to ask another question, presumably, Alek coughs. “So, what’s up with the suitcases?”
