Order (Tattoos and Ties Duet #2)(75)

Alec stood in the window overlooking his patio with the puppy in his arms, waiting on his lover. Adrenaline strummed through his body, making his leg bounce with the anticipation of the night. The most current obstacle in his way was that it was already six thirty and Key was nowhere to be seen. He supposed that was most likely traffic’s fault. Key had opted for the truck due to yesterday’s rain, which at the time, even being in Austin with his awful family made Alec unreasonably happy. Then came the text about the time it took Key to get to the shop. On his bike, he could zip in and out of traffic. He used high occupancy lanes and rode the line between vehicles to help cut his driving time. The truck didn’t allow for those conveniences, and that wasn't anything Alec had anticipated.

When the truck turned the corner of the drive and pulled toward the garage, Alec found the other fault he had with the truck. The pipes of the Harley were so distinctive they could be heard from miles away. Not so with the truck, and Alec dashed from the window toward his bedroom, carefully placing the puppy in his box.

“Be good. Stay quiet,” Alec instructed then paused, looking down at the puppy as if he might somehow respond. Turns out, he didn’t need to ask. The little guy had been up with Alec for hours, so he eagerly curled up on his house shoe and closed his eyes. Alec carefully shut the closet door, hoping to save the surprise. He left the bedroom, shutting that door behind him as Key opened the back door.

“Alec!”

“I’m home. Come in,” Alec said quietly, moving around the furniture toward the kitchen. “You’re later than normal. I was getting worried.”

“It’s the truck. I had to fight the traffic. It sucked,” Key said, hooking a thumb over his shoulder, coming to a stop as Alec approached.

“Hmm, I bet. I’m sorry,” Alec said, placing both hands on Key’s pecs, lifting his chin for a kiss. Key didn’t hesitate as he shrugged off his coat, dropping the Carhartt on the back of a kitchen chair—which seemed to be its regular hanger.

“I should clean up,” Key said, and Alec looked down at Key’s work clothes. That was something else he hadn’t prepared for that threw an immediate wrench in his surprise plan.

“Well, you can’t do that,” Alec said and stopped speaking before he finished the sentence, racking his brain for something more to say.

“Why?” Key stood directly in front of him, his hands going to his waist with attitude.

“I’ve done some planning and preparing…a surprise. You can’t go in the bedroom.” That had Key furrowing his brows. “I can get your clothes and you can go upstairs.”

Key continued to eye him, then looked around the kitchen. His gaze landed on the several covered dishes warming on the stove before he turned back to Alec. “What’re you up to?”

“Let me get you a change of clothes. Shower if you must, but make it quick and in the guest bathroom. I’m ready to get started.” Alec moved quickly, careful to open and shut doors as quietly as possible. He went for the closet. In stealth mode, he tiptoed inside, keeping his eyes locked on the sleeping puppy, ready to leap and grab him if he woke. He slowly reached for a pair of jeans then for one of Key’s tight-fitting tees, a favorite of Alec’s because it brought out the unusual color of Key’s eyes. He made an executive decision to forgo underwear or socks and shoes. Those would just be wasted time in removing.

His heart was pounding, and once he closed the bedroom door behind him, he gave himself a good internal laugh at his ridiculousness. Such a dork. He should just show Key their new puppy and stop playing games, but seriously, where was the fun in that?

Alec put the clothes on the kitchen bar, watching Key drop two bacon wrapped shrimp in his mouth. He covered his mouth, and said, “I love those things.”

“They seemed like something you’d like. Go,” he said, pointing to the stairway at the front of the house. “Use the upstairs bathroom and hurry. I’m starving. I missed lunch.”

“I’ll just change down here,” Key said, going for the hall bathroom.

“Good. I’ll get you a drink and set the table.” His anxiousness was showing. Key even gave him an odd look and placed a palm on Alec’s chest—Key’s way of checking his heart rate. It had to be elevated, no news there.

“Get,” Alec said and cocked his head to the bathroom. After Key shut himself inside, Alec rolled his eyes again at his own stupidity, then headed for the liquor cabinet. He poured himself a shot just to relieve his nervousness.

=?=

Alec remained antsy even though he’d gone through two full glasses of wine in less than thirty minutes. Clearly, he had something big to share, but he was doing his normal stretching out the anticipation thing he got a big kick out of. So, Keyes sat in a state of tension, because this could go two ways. Either the surprise was really great or he’d be dropping his head between his knees, praying he didn’t pass out. Man, Alec could stress him the fuck out as much as his brothers did.

“When are you gonna tell me what’s up?” he finally asked, shoving his plate back a couple of inches to rest his forearms on the table.

“I’m nervous, and I’m messing this up,” Alec answered, adding a second helping to Keyes’s plate.

“Nothin’s messed up,” he assured him, trying for encouraging, reaching for the shrimp Alec added to his plate. “You went to a lot of trouble for a weeknight dinner. It’s nice. Just tell me what’s goin’ on.”