Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 1

not mistaken, the dog doesn't want you here."
    "This is our house. Carson, tell this dick to go home." Leon smirked. "We never actually broke up."
    Somehow I wasn't shocked by the news. Leon couldn't let go of anything if his life depended on it. "Alec, the pizza crust will be burnt if I don't get back to it. Come on in. Leon? Go."
    "What are you doing?" Leon's eyes widened as Alec ducked behind me. "I've been waiting out here for more than an hour. I thought you knew I was coming over. I called."
    Alec swatted my ass on the way past. "I'll take it out."
    I didn't have to look to know where Dragon went. The sound of his toenails on the hardwood floor told me he'd followed Alec. I waited until Alec was out of earshot. He didn't need to hear me argue with my ex.
    "Then it was you. I should've known."
    "Was what me?" Leon fisted his hands on his hips. "That called you? Yeah, I called you. I thought you cared about me. I called like fifty times."
    "I cared about you when we were together. But finding you in bed with our mutual friend sorta killed anything I'd felt. Then you tell me you don't love me. You wanted your freedom. You'd been screwing people and turning tricks. I don't do tricks any longer. Besides, aren't you married?"
    "You liked what we did."
    "But I don't now. Leave me alone. You wanted out, stay out."
    Alec eased up behind me and put his arm around my waist. "The dog and I put the mushrooms and onions on the pizza. Anything else you want on there?" Alec crouched near to Dragon's face and nodded again. "Oh and Leon, Dragon told me doesn't want to have to bust out his ninja moves to make you leave. You cut his person pretty deep and he won't stand for it."
    I bit back a grin. Alec had a spine and a good sense of humor. I loved it. The more time I spent with him, the more I loved Alec. Crazy considering my ex was still on the porch and I'd only had one date with Alec.
    "I came over here to ask for forgiveness. Not to find you with a man whore." Leon snorted. "And that is a piece of trash."
    "I'm not a man whore." Alec tsk tsked beside me. "I keep my junk so clean you could eat it." He spoke lightly in my ear. "Do you want to eat it?"
    "What do you have to say for yourself?" Leon braced himself on the banister. "You like him?"
    "I do like him." I rested my head on Alec's shoulder. "You walked out. I'm through with you. No buts. Go home to Draven or whoever you're with now. Just go."
    Growling, Leon climbed into his car and sped down the gravel driveway. His tires kicked rocks all over my front yard and squealed as he pulled onto the road. Alec swayed beside me. "He does this every so often, I assume? Doesn't want to let go even if he's the one who threw it away?"
    "Can't let the past stay in the past," I murmured. As far as I knew, Leon would come back and try to destroy everything.
    Alec turned in my arms, putting his back to the street and Leon's retreat. The setting sun gave Alec's face an airbrushed quality. Behind him, blues, purples, and vivid oranges lit up the sky. "I can handle his kind of crazy if you'll let me stand beside you."
    That, I could handle. I pulled him close and kissed him, tasting the minty toothpaste on his lips and my own hunger to do more than stay in a lip-lock.
    "I love the sunset." I slid my fingertip down his nose. "Like we get to start all over again in the morning, but this is the reminder of all the beautiful moments from the day. One last chance to make things right before the darkness takes over."
    He snickered. "That's really poetic and sappy. But I like it."
    "The pizza's gotta be very done or burnt by now."
    Alec shrugged. "I set the timer on the counter and one on my cell phone. We'd know if it was burned." He chuckled. "I let everyone else run my life back in the day. I wasn't about to let that jerk ruin my food or my night with you."
    "I like you and I'd like a chance to start this right." I rubbed his back. "Will you have pizza with me right now, stay with me tonight and wake me in the morning with your smile?" Wow, I didn't realize I could be so schmaltzy. "Or you could stay, we eat, fuck like rabbits and spend tomorrow together."
    "Sounds like the same thing and yeah, I would." He placed his hand over my mouth to stop my response. "Carson, I liked you way back when. A lot. Seeing you again brought back all those feelings and more. I'm in love with you and I want to see how far this thing goes."
    He'd smoothed his other hand over my crotch. The smart ass in me wanted