Page 28 of Allured
“I think I’ve got a shirt that will fit alright,” he begins, turning around with a black t—shirt and exercise shorts in hand.
“Oh fuck, youneedto be naked next time and we need a fuckton more light,” he remarks, his eyes hungrily taking me in. My body is certainly leaner than his but I stay lightly muscled with my running.
As much as I would love to make next time happen right now, I am tired and still coming down from the high of my intense orgasm.
“Alek.” I warn.
“I know, I know. We need some sleep.” He groans with obvious protest in his words as he begins to undress himself as well. Walking over to me, he grabs my discarded clothing before making his way out of the room. “Be right back.”
I take the time to weigh my options to get dressed or not. The comfort of the bedding beneath me and the fact that my skin would be pressing and touching against Alek’s in our sleep makes it no contest. I’m sleeping in my boxers and putting on his clothes in the morning.
It’s been months since I’ve shared a bed with anyone. At first it was difficult to get used to the feeling of sleeping alone when I had always had someone with me for over ten years.
“I’ve got some water.” Alek returns, my thoughts on the past immediately escaping my mind when I see him walk in, tanned muscles all on display with only tight boxers covering his middle.
“Thank you,” I yawn as he passes me a cool glass.
We settle in quickly, with a sense of comfort like this is all part of our everyday routine. Fluffing pillows, moving blankets, and finally settling in. My phone and glasses are perched on the nightstand like they belong there.
Once we’re in bed, I face Alek with my hand under my cheek, and he mirrors my position on the other side of the bed.
“Why does this feel so normal?” I ask, unable to keep my thoughts to myself.
“I don’t know,” he responds. Moving closer to me, Alek wraps a long arm around my waist and I shuffle slightly to meet him in the middle of the bed.
“But I’d have you in my bed every night if I could.” His eyes are closed, there’s a sweet expression on his face, and his words are spoken almost as if he’d been dreaming.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
ALEK
What’s the tea?
Ez can’t cook for shit. I learned that this morning after we had woken up in each other’s arms. There was a relaxed smile on his face when I blinked open my eyes from a long night of peaceful sleep. Handsome and awake as ever, Ezekiel was sprawled out looking like he always belonged in my bed. We took our time detangling from each other, passionate kisses and heavy touching made it almost impossible for us to leave the bed. It was only the combined noises from our growling stomachs that put a pause to the makeout session.
We spent the morning making pancakes and bacon side—by—side. Ez insisted on helping out in the kitchen. And my angel burned the fuck out of our bacon and set off the fire alarm. That’s how he ended up sitting on my shoulders, reaching for the alarm so we could turn the damn thing off. We took so long trying to turn off the alarm that my pancakes also burned.
By the end of our disastrous breakfast, we sat giggling with each other at my small dining table with our burned food stillsmoking between us as we tried to look for any edible pieces. Despite the chaos, it was still the best morning I’ve had in a long time, even with the nagging thoughts trying to invade my mind.
For the sake of having a good morning, I had internalized the anxiety that had been in the back of my mind since Ez told me he and Knight were cousins. I have to confront Knight later today and possibly ruin something with Ez before it even has the chance to begin. This morning might have been the last time I would get to see my angel like this and I was going to treasure our time.
“You’re interrupting my morning tea.” Knight sits back in one of the dark leather chairs in his study, a small cup of tea halfway lifted to his lips.
I texted Knight and sped over here right after saying goodbye to Ez. He had some work to take care of for the upcoming school week and I had errands to run before the show but we agreed to call later tonight. Kissing him goodbye felt especially bittersweet knowing I needed to have a tough encounter afterwards.
“Oh,I’m sorry, I didn’t know it was morning tea time. Did I just fucking miss the Queen of England?” I finish entering the room and cross my arms once I’m in front of him.
“You smell like you’ve eaten a pack of cigarettes.” Knight’s mustache shifts upward as he grimaces. He sets his cup of tea down on a coaster and turns to give me his full attention.
“Yeah, well you can thank your cousin for almost setting my house on fire this morning.”
Knight’s eyes narrow and his brow lowers in a look that screams equal parts protective and pensive. After a moment, he offers nothing more than a small “humph.”
“Humph, really? That’s all you’ve got to say?”
Letting out a long sigh, Knight leans back against his chair and steeples his hands in front of his torso. He looks at me the way a parent might look at a misbehaving child.
“I should have realized this would have been within the realm of possibility,” the man admits. “I assume you hit it off at the gala last weekend?” he asks, but I know he already knows the answer.
