Order (Tattoos and Ties Duet #2)(54)

“I’ve experienced some of that with my family.” Alec’s brow wrinkled, and he nodded like he was digesting that bit of information. Keyes waited for whatever question was coming next. “Then what made you punch the side of the house?”

“I don’t really know. I hated that man my whole fuckin’ life, but when I was starin’ down at him, that was all gone. I think because of you. It freaked me out how much that I didn’t care. None of that mattered anymore, and I couldn’t even hate him. And before you ask why, I don’t know. I just know it does, and I know you’re responsible for lessenin’ some of my hate. You’re a real good guy who makes me a better dude. That’s all I got, Alec. When I was leavin’, I thought about bein’ a kid and all the confusion and pain and humiliation I’d suffered at that house. I drove my fist through the sidin’, but the anger didn’t help and the old feelin’s that I was nothin’ came back. I came straight here because I feel better here.” Man, he hoped Alec understood because that was all he had by way of an explanation.

Alec’s leg continued to bounce as he stared at him. Alec remained silent as if he were digesting everything he’d been told.

“So, who’s this dude you were set up with tonight?”

Alec’s shoulders slumped. He rolled his head between his shoulders, clearly trying to relieve some of the sudden extreme tension that formed between them. “Absolutely no one, Key. I had a freak-out of my own. When the guy hit me up for a hookup, I realized how completely I didn’t want anyone but you. I’d been drinking and I’ve never been in a relationship before you, I felt like I was compromising us by even being asked that question. It was strange and unreasonable, so I left and came home.”

“I’m here every night,” he said, instead of saying what he really wanted to say—You’re just now figuring out you don’t want anyone else? He didn’t want to fight anymore, but goddamn, he wanted to know what Alec would say to that.

“I know.” They stared at one another several long seconds before Alec spoke again. “Let this be enough where that awful man’s concerned.”

“That’s what my uncle said too.” Keyes still held his distance, the imaginary line in the sand between them now seemed carved in stone.

Alec’s jaw clenched, his voice back to strong and unyielding, hard and determined. “I want to be the one you come to. I want to be your sounding board. I appreciate you have your uncle, and I’m not trying to come between the two of you. I just want to be your person. Your everything.”

“You are. And I want that too.” Keyes waved his hand between them. “You know that. I want this. The same. You know.”

Alec nodded. After a moment more, he smiled. It took a second more for the grin to turn genuine, and he stepped forward. Keyes did too, meeting him halfway. “I do know. This was a good step in the right direction.”

“Yeah. So about that guy…” Keyes had let Alec sidetrack him, but he couldn’t let it go. His primal instincts where Alec was concerned reared, knowing it wouldn’t take much to corner this stranger and make him shit his pants for hitting on what Keyes had claimed as his. A small part of the old Keyes relished the idea of scaring the shit out of that loser. “This Janice knows you have a boyfriend, right?”

“Stop, the guy was just being a guy, and I certainly wasn’t interested in breaking these vows we’ve made to one another. Get territorial in the bedroom. I found the flaw in this costume, probably the reason I was able to get it so late in the season. I have to completely disrobe to go to the restroom. It’s a pain in the ass. I was getting the strangest looks standing in my underwear in the bar’s bathroom,” Alec said, wrapping an arm around his waist and starting toward his bedroom. “You’d have thought they’d’ve figured that out. It’s not a new costume.”

Motherfucker, now he was jealous over the costume. Keyes gave Alec a questioning side-eye, absolutely not fucking liking a lot of the things Alec was saying about his night out. “Yeah, I don’t like you undressin’ in a public bathroom either.”

“Then next time, you better be there to protect my virtue.” Alec winked, moving ahead of him, motioning for him to get the zipper at his back.

“Virtue?” he teased, his mood instantly lifting. From the stories Alec had told him from the past, he wasn’t sure that word could apply to Alec.

“Just go with it.”





Halloween





How could he ever make Alec understand that birthdays weren’t a thing for him? Alec had sent a text message wishing him a happy birthday—not one time, but once every hour, on the hour for the past eight hours. On top of that, Alec had had delivered a balloon bouquet and some sort of cut fruit in a vase deal to the tire shop. His confusion had only increased when he’d figured out the driver wasn’t there for a tire change but to deliver something to him. That was a first, never in his entire life had he ever had a gift delivered to him before. Keyes accepted the item only because it was shoved into his chest, then he stood there with everyone around gawking at him. He didn’t even know what to do with the thing, so he set it on his father’s bench and let anyone who wanted a piece have one, because seriously, besides the somewhat healthy Alec, who could eat all that fruit?