Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 1

take him home. Then you called. I brought home a couple sample bags of dog food for emergencies. Turns out it was the right decision."
    "I ruined it?"
    "Not at all." Alec remained behind the counter, like he needed the barrier. "The surprise was even better."
    I rubbed the back of my neck with the flat of my hand. Confusion didn't begin to describe the thoughts in my head. "Okay, look. I need a few things straightened out before we get busy again." And I needed my pants. I retreated to his bedroom long enough to grab my clothes from the floor, then came back out into the kitchen. "I like to be dressed when I have a conversation."
    "We did rush." He leaned forward on the counter, folding his arms. He watched patiently as I shrugged into my shirt and shoved my jeans up over my hips. "There," He said with a grin, "now you're decent. Shoot."
    I worked my sock right side out, then turned my attention to Alec. "Moments ago, you had my dick down your throat and your cock in my ass. I loved it, don't get me wrong, but I want more." There. I'd started to say what I wanted to say. Sort of.
    "Like my vital statistics?"
    "Yeah." I picked at the cuff of my sock. I was never going to get a straight sentence out with him standing there in the damn near nude. "I like that you're helping take care of my dog and all, but how do I know this isn't a ploy to talk me out of him?" I paused. That sounded all wonky. I stared at the piercing in his nipple. Not helping, but turning me on again. Fuck. "I mean...God I should shut up now."
    Alec came out from behind the counter and placed his finger over my mouth. "I like him, but I prefer him with the matching owner. You've been my what-if guy. What if I'd made a move in school? What if I'd grown a backbone and said more than two words to you? I can't change what happened then, but I can give right now my best shot."
    "Who is Stu to you?" I asked around his finger. "If he's the guy you're making jealous, then I don't want to do this. I was part of a triangle and I don't want to go there again."
    God, I'd fuck this whole thing up before we even got past the one-afternoon stand part. Damn, damn, damn. He'd said he wasn't interested in Stu, but I couldn't let it go until I was sure.
    "That's what happened, isn't it? He took off because someone else smiled his way?" Alec moved his finger down my chin, to my throat and stopped at my belt loops. "Come here." He backed up, resting his ass on the counter. I stood between his bare legs. I looked anywhere but his eyes. I hadn't talked about Leon or my past and I didn't really want to—not yet anyway.
    Alec cupped my jaw. "I was cheated on, too." His smile fell. "Thought he'd be the only one." His voice cracked and softened. "Until he realized he wasn't gay."
    I sighed. I knew that song and dance, too. Freshman year of college. Gino called it 'sampling'. Except everyone else called his sampling 'experimenting'. I'd put my heart into the fledgling romance and he walked not two weeks later.
    "How long were you together?" He rubbed his thumb across my bottom lip.
    "Do we have to talk about this? You don't want to get dressed or something?" I sounded impatient and hated it. I turned away from him. "Longer than we should've been."
    "Me, too." Alec tipped my chin, forcing me to look at him. "Have you seen, 'Bringing Up Baby'?"
    I wasn't entirely sure where Alec was going with his question, but I did have an affinity for old Hollywood swagger. "Cary Grant rocks."
    "Good. We'll watch that. I'll grab a t-shirt and some jeans." He kissed me again and lingered. "I've wanted to talk to someone about Eddie for a long time. Hard to keep that shit buried."
    "I know." And I did. I don't know how Alec knocked loose the words I'd held back, but he did. While Alec went to get dressed, I put on my socks and hunted for my dog. It didn't shock me to find Dragon had already sprawled out on the rug like he owned the place. I knelt beside him and scratched behind his ears.
    "If he drools too much, let me know." I shouted over my shoulder. "I'll pay to have the rug cleaned."
    Alec laughed and crouched beside me. "You do know I'm a vet, right? If I didn't see them every day and live in a rental, I'd probably have a couple dogs myself. Drool doesn't squick me out."
    I grinned and sat down on the couch. Alec grabbed the remote, then flipped through the DVD cases on the bookshelf. There was something graceful about Alec, almost sinewy like a dancer. Each movement seemed practiced yet