Taming Alec(20)

I never believed in love at first sight, but with Alec, I was starting to wonder if maybe it did exist after all. I’d never felt a connection like the one I had with him.

Being in a relationship was new to both of us. We were well aware of the fact that we had no idea what we had gotten ourselves into. I was okay with that. Since I’d met Alec, I’d found myself in a lot of situations that I couldn’t understand. That didn’t matter though. I was adapting faster than I thought possible and being with him was quickly becoming my new norm.

The morning after our talk, Alec had acted strange, like he was afraid he would do something wrong. He would still seem unsure of himself from time to time even though I’d explained that I had no expectations or presumptions about how things would happen between the two of us. It had made me realize just how hard he was trying to make things work between us.

“What do you want to do tonight?” I asked.

Between our work schedules, we were only able to spend a few nights together. I was excited about having him for the entire evening.

He shrugged. “We could always have lots and lots of sex. I’m down for that.”

I grinned. “I’m sure you are.” A thought occurred to me. “I know what I want to do.”

“What?” he asked, sounding suspicious.

“It’s nothing bad. Gesh. I was just thinking about when you said you played guitar. I would love to hear you.”

He seemed unsure of himself. “I don’t know.”

“Why not? You said you’ve played in front of people before, so I know you’re not shy.”

“It’s different with you. I care about what you think,” he admitted.

I smiled, touched by his words, even if it seemed to kill him to say them. “Come on. I’m sure I’ll like it.” When he still seemed uncertain, I stepped closer and wrapped my arms around his waist. “Please, Spike.”

His body shook with laughter. “You’re not allowed to call me that.”

“Why not?” I teased.

“Because everyone else calls me that. I’m Alec to you.”

I squeezed him tightly. “Fine. Alec, will you please play something for me?”

He sighed as he removed my arms. “I suppose.”

He pretended to scowl, but I could see the amusement in his eyes.

“Go sit on the couch. I’ll be back in a second.”

I walked over to the couch and sat down as he disappeared into his bedroom. When he reemerged, he had an acoustic guitar in his hand. He sat down on the opposite side of the couch and strummed the guitar. He fiddled with the tuning pegs and then strummed again.

Once he was satisfied, he turned his attention to me. “This is something I’ve been working on for a few weeks. It’s not finished yet.”

I nodded encouragingly. He looked away as his fingers began to move across the neck of the guitar. I watched in fascination as he played. The melody was soft, almost sweet. He played for a few seconds before he started singing. My mouth dropped open in amazement as I listened to him. His voice was deep normally, but it turned into a low growl as he sang. Listening to him sing was otherworldly.

What is happening to me?

I’m just trying to survive.

Then, you came to me, and I felt like maybe I wasn’t really living, Maybe I just needed to find someone who gave a damn, A damn about me

You don’t belong here.

You can’t,

Not with me.

Innocence can’t go hand in hand with the devil.

Things like that just aren’t meant to be.

I feel like I should’ve been a better man,

Especially when you look at me.

Just don’t stop looking at me.

As he finished, I ran my fingers under my eyes, trying to keep my tears from falling. His voice was mesmerizing. I had no idea how he wasn’t singing professionally. Every word he’d sung captured me. I felt every emotion his voice held.

“Dear God,” I whispered as I stared at him in awe.

“I know it’s not that great, but it isn’t finished. It’ll be better when I’m done,” he said, obviously mistaking my awe for dislike.

I shook my head. “It was amazing. I’ve never heard anything like it. Why are you in West Virginia, running a bar, when you could be out there, singing to the world?”

He seemed surprised. “You really liked it?”

“I loved it,” I told him honestly.

He sat his guitar on the table and tugged me over. He lifted me onto his lap and wrapped his arms around me. “I started writing it when I met you. I couldn’t seem to get you out of my head, so I decided to put everything I felt down on paper. It helped but only a little.”

“You have to be the most romantic man I’ve ever met.” I snuggled into his chest. “Can’t do relationships? Psh.”

He laughed. “When I’m around you, everything seems easy. I wish I had met you a long time ago.”

I sat up and looked into his eyes. “Things will never be easy. Life never is, so a relationship won’t be any different, but we’ll figure it out.”

“You think?” he asked, his expression serious.

“I know.”

He leaned in and kissed me gently. “No going back.”