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  “I bet you have,” Tony said as he watched Alec running toward them.

  “Hey, I got these,” Alec said, relieving Eli and Tony of their burdens and running back down the stairs with the bags toward Tony’s car.

  “He seems to have an alarming amount of energy,” Tony said, peering at Alec’s rather fit, retreating form before pulling out his sunglasses.

  Eli went a bit pink, but he had no intention of sharing any intimate details with the artist. And it was probably best that Tony not know that he and Alec had fucked in nearly every room in the house since getting together last November—a feat difficult to accomplish with three other housemates who followed hectic, unpredictable schedules.

  He recalled one particularly passionate, impromptu encounter on the floor in front of the very sofa where Alec had first put the moves on him. That first time, they’d just come back from a day of Eli showing Alec around Soho, but, being too filled with heartache and fear, Eli had put a stop to Alec’s advances. Most recently, it was Lyle and a drunken Tony who had given them pause.

  Eli grinned as he remembered that night: him moaning and quivering beneath Alec as his boyfriend thrust into him, their skin slick as he clawed enthusiastically at Alec’s back and thighs. Then suddenly, Alec had frozen and—before Eli could groan his objection—covered his mouth, silencing him.

  Eli had tightened his legs around Alec’s waist as he stared up into his handsome face, his black hair partially obscuring his gray eyes as they remained fixed on the front entryway. Eli craned his neck to see what was so interesting and quickly realized that Alec had heard a key in the door and was hoping that if they remained still enough, quiet enough, perhaps whoever was entering the house would simply walk right past them.

  They did: a drunken Tony, being steered toward the stairs by a sober Lyle, and never once glancing into the living room to their left. The light in the entryway ended just before reaching the lovers as they lay naked on the hardwood floor, now breathing shallowly and locked in the most incredible, intimate embrace as they watched their housemates intently. Alec’s hand slid off Eli’s mouth, but then Tony had started singing—badly—and both of them began to giggle. Alec covered Eli’s mouth again and buried his face against his lover’s neck to muffle his own laughter, which had only served to tickle Eli further.

  Once their housemates had staggered up the stairs to their room, their laughter had quieted, and Eli reached up, sweeping the hair out of Alec’s eyes so he could look into them, but his gaze quickly fell to Alec’s mouth. Rewarded with a warm smile that silently asked, “Where were we?”, they kissed tenderly, and Eli stroked Alec’s back in silent encouragement while flexing his inner muscles to awaken his partner’s flagging erection.

  Alec rose up on his forearms, ran his fingers through Eli’s unruly hair, and began to move again. Eli had tightened his legs around Alec’s waist and reached for his thighs, trying to pull him even closer, even deeper inside him, and soon after, Alec had to silence a very vocal, enthusiastic Eli with a kiss.

  “Are you listening to me?”

  “Huh?” Eli asked as he unconsciously rubbed his hipbone and considered talking to Ilsa about getting carpet for the living room. “S-sorry, Tony… you were saying?”

  “Where did you go just now?” the artist asked, his eyes narrowing.

  “How’s the new car running?” Eli asked, switching to Tony’s favorite topic—Tony.

  The artist’s first show had made him a tidy sum, pulling forth uncharacteristic generosity and netting a flat-screen television for the house. The proceeds from Tony’s second and most recent show, however, were all for the artist himself and sat at the curb in the form of a cobalt-blue sports car.

  His boyfriend, Lyle, thought it was ridiculously impractical and went entirely too fast.

  Tony adored it.

  “My baby purrs like a kitten,” he said, smiling and putting on his sunglasses.

  Alec reappeared. “Can I take those for you, Tony?”

  “Uh, no thank you, Alec. I’ve got them.” The three of them fell silent and looked at each other. “I guess… it’s time to go,” Tony said.

  Eli felt his entire body tense as Dray rejoined them and threw his arm possessively around Alec’s shoulders. “I’m all set,” he said brightly. “Just need you to lead the way, Mr. James.”

  “Lead the way?” Tony asked. “You found us the place. You know exactly where it is.”

  “He just wants you to thank him again,” Eli said. He graced Dray with his chilliest smile and got as good as he gave. Eli and Alec tried to hug Tony at the same time, collided, and then took turns.

  “Ooh, man sweat. Yum,” Tony said. Alec smiled crookedly as he moved free of Dray to stand next to Eli, he and Tony trading places. “I guess you two will be all alone in the house until Ilsa finishes at the restaurant.” The artist grinned wickedly. “Whatever will you do?”

  “Listen… are you sure you want to deal with a housewarming the same day you finish moving in?” Eli asked.

  “It does seem like a lot to take on,” Alec added.

  “No worries,” Tony said. “If anyone can pull it off, Lyle can.” He started down the steps. “He’s Mr. Organization, remember?” He walked to his car and carefully, almost tenderly, placed his canvases in the passenger seat. For a moment, Eli thought he might buckle them in. The engine roared to life, and Eli could see his smile from the front steps. Tony pulled the car in front of the truck and waited.

  Eli had unconsciously hooked his thumb in the back belt loop of Alec’s jeans, and now his fingers snaked under Alec’s shirt, his nails trailing a path through the sweat dripping down his boyfriend’s back. Alec visibly shivered, and Eli smothered a chuckle as Dray stood before them in the doorway, completely unaware of their intimate contact.

  “Alec, you coming along?” Dray asked.

  “I understand there’s a small crew waiting to help with the unloading,” Eli offered.

  He and Dray locked eyes for a few heartbeats.

  “Uh… nope, Dray,” Alec said, breaking the stalemate. “There should be plenty of help waiting for you over there.”

  Dray sighed. “Well, I guess I’ll see you tonight.”

  “Yes, we’ll be there.” Eli’s smile held no warmth for Dray, and as they looked at each other again, he felt his gut twist, but Dray only chuckled, turned, and headed for the truck.

  “Bye, Erby,” he shouted back over his shoulder. Eli raised his cane as if to whack Dray on his bald head with it, but Alec stopped him, as he knew he would.

  “Hang on,” Alec shouted after Dray. “The door’s not locked.” He ran down the stairs and to the back of the truck to secure the door latch. Dray joined him there, and they looked it over together.

  Eli watched them, keenly aware of every flirtatious action on Dray’s part: touching Alec’s shoulder, laughing, leaning toward him. Dray had gone after Eli’s last boyfriend, Bennett, and it was no fun seeing him repeat this behavior with Alec. He had a thing for Americans. Eli smiled. I guess I have a thing for them too. He was convinced Dray only offered to help with the move so he could put his perfect, strong, healthy, beautiful, black body in Alec’s vicinity, or, at the very least, within his line of sight.

  Tony honked his horn, and Dray removed his shirt from his back pocket, sliding it on and preparing to leave. That’s right. Cover up, you fiend.

  Chapter 3

  ALEC waved goodbye to Tony and Dray as they drove off, heading for the new flat. He glanced at the darkening sky and wiped his brow. With the humidity they’d had today, he wouldn’t be surprised if a thunderstorm hit before the party.

  “Looks like a stor—”

  Eli was gone. The front door of the house stood open, but there was no sign of his boyfriend. A chill ran through him, and he approached the house hoping that Eli wasn’t having another fit about Dray’s attentions.

  As a psychologist, Alec knew the two of them, as a couple, was a process. Some days Eli was eager, passionate, funn
y, and ready to take on anything. But the days following one of his nightmares were another story. Directly after a nightmare, Eli would allow, even welcome, Alec’s comfort. Clinging to him in the sweaty sheets, Eli would cry and mumble apologies, and Alec would hold him, speaking softly until he stopped shaking and fell back to sleep. But when the sun rose, Eli withdrew, became quiet, surly, or quick to temper. Add to that his venomous attitude toward Dray and any attention Alec might pay to him, and navigating their relationship could, at times, be treacherous.

  Alec shut and locked the door behind him before walking slowly down the hall toward Eli’s room.

  “Eli? Where are you?”

  “In here.”

  Alec entered the bedroom and, not seeing Eli, continued to the small bathroom within. He found Eli on his knees, leaning over the tub, shirtless and swirling his arm in the water. “What are you doing?”

  “Drawing you a bath.”

  Alec spotted a small box of Epsom salts next to Eli on the floor. “I love the way you say ‘bath’,” he said, watching him from the door.

  Eli looked up at him and smiled. “Alec, we’ve been together nearly a year—”

  “Five months is not ‘nearly a year’.”

  Eli ignored the statement. “You’re surrounded by people day in and day out who say ‘bath’ exactly the way I do.”

  “I like the way you say it.” Alec smiled and continued to watch him: on his knees, shirtless, bent over the rim of the tub in sweatpants and—he was certain—nothing else. He felt something in his lower gut quiver, and his smile grew.

  “No,” Eli said without turning around. Alec stopped smiling as his boyfriend looked at him sternly, slowly getting to his feet and limping toward him. “Get undressed.” Eli held Alec’s gaze as he came closer, and then, setting his cane against the wall, he lifted Alec’s shirt and began unbuckling his belt.

  Alec quickly finished removing his soiled shirt, tossing it over his shoulder onto the bedroom floor before kicking off his sneakers. His breathing caught when Eli placed one palm on his chest, spreading the fingers in the light dusting of hair there before slowly drawing them down Alec’s front.

  “I want you to climb in that tub and soak,” Eli whispered as he leaned in, sending a thrill through Alec by taking a nipple between his lips and licking the salty sweat from it.

  “Uh, just s-soak?”

  “Yes.” Eli moved to the other nipple, slowly circling it with his tongue before nipping it gently with his teeth.

  Alec felt his cock jerk, coming to life as he eagerly reached for Eli, hoping to pull him in for a kiss, but the maddening man pulled away. “I think I’m getting mixed signals,” he said, laughing.

  “No, you’re not,” Eli assured him.

  Remaining skeptical, Alec allowed Eli to pull his pants and briefs down in one, quick, easy motion, the fabric deliciously raking Alec’s cock and making him shudder. The grin on Eli’s face as he watched Alec’s erection bounce back up and stand at attention only excited Alec more. Eli stepped closer so the head grazed his own fuzzy abdomen, and Alec’s eyes fell shut from the contact, a stupid grin spreading across his face. He quickly stepped out of his clothes, leaving them in a pile at their feet, and even though what he wanted most was to take Eli in his arms, he obediently walked over and carefully climbed into the steaming water, hissing as it stung his skin.

  “Jesus! You’re trying to boil me.”

  Eli chuckled. “You’ll get used to it. Now sit.”

  He slowly, agonizingly lowered himself into the water. “There’s not much in here,” Alec said in dismay, looking at the pitiful amount of water that didn’t reach as high as he’d like.

  “It’ll rise once I’m on board.” That caught Alec’s attention, but Eli simply knelt down by the tub and smiled at him. “Good?”

  “It would be better with you… ‘on board’, as you say,” Alec whispered, his eyes half-closing as the hot water soothed him. “What?” he asked, catching the sudden frown on Eli’s face.

  “I forgot the….”

  Their eyes searched for and landed on the sponge simultaneously. It was above them in the soap rack, and Alec moved to get it, but Eli stopped him, expertly using the tip of his cane to knock it into the water—followed closely by a bottle of aloe body wash. The sponge landed with a quiet plop, but the body wash sent a shower of water into the air and onto Alec’s face, while also drenching the front of Eli’s sweatpants and throwing both of them into a fit of laughter.

  Eli captured the sponge, squeezed a healthy amount of soap on it, and quickly worked up a lather. Eli began dutifully washing him, and Alec relaxed, watching his boyfriend’s face intently, even though the man wouldn’t meet his gaze. As Eli covered him with lather, Alec compliantly raised his arms, turned, or leaned forward at the correct moments without being told. He hadn’t had a bath like this since he was six.

  “What are you smiling about?” Eli asked, still not looking directly at him.

  “This reminds me of an old rhyme my stepfather told me once.”

  Eli paused and looked at him skeptically. “Is this a dodgy rhyme?”

  Alec laughed. “No! It’s from an old episode of Sesame Street… you have that here, right?”

  Eli nodded and resumed his washing. “In some capacity, I think so, yes.”

  “The rhyme was supposed to teach kids the days of the week. Uh….” Alec looked at the ceiling and thought for a moment. “Poor Solomon Grundy, he washed the left side of his face on Monday, he washed the left side of his neck on Tuesday, he washed his left arm on Wednesday, so on and so forth.”

  “Cute.”

  “Yeah, but he only had seven days of the week to work with and ended up remaining half-dirty.” Alec chuckled softly, and Eli smiled. “I remember thinking that some bits had been left out of the equation.”

  “Yes, the best bits,” Eli said as he reached Alec’s waist in his endeavors. “But as a children’s show, I’d hardly expect them to address those bits.”

  “Hey, I was six or seven, and I knew they’d left something out.”

  “What? Your favorite toy?”

  Alec guffawed, but then he grew very serious. “Now that you mention it, I was fairly fond of it.” Alec laid his head back and closed his eyes in anticipation. “Speaking of—”

  But Eli’s sponge deftly skipped his crotch and moved to his thighs and legs. Alec glared at him, affronted, but his boyfriend only grinned, clearly amused with himself. Alec gyrated a bit in the tub, trying to escape his discomfort and get Eli’s attention.

  “You worked hard today.” Eli submerged the sponge in the water to rinse it.

  “I guess so.”

  “You must be very sore from all that lifting and carrying.”

  “A bit.”

  “Straining those muscles.”

  “You bet.” Alec flexed his bicep impressively but then pulled an exaggerated Ouch! face.

  Eli smiled. “You’re probably worn out.”

  “Uh-uh.” Alec made a grab for him, but Eli dodged it, instead squeezing the sponge out over his head, rinsing him. Alec sputtered and shook his head violently, sending a shower of water and soap all over them both. When he managed to open his eyes again, Eli stood next to the tub, laughing. He’d shed his sweatpants, revealing a beautiful, stiff cock of his own—and the angry dark scar that ran the length of his right leg.

  Alec had seen it many times over the past five months and knew the feel of it under his fingers as well as he knew the scent of his lover’s skin, the weight and pulse of his cock in his mouth, the change in his breathing when he was close to coming, and the taste of him.

  “Sorry, love.”

  “No you’re not,” Alec said. “Are you going to get in here or not?”

  “Of course… I have to wash your hair.”

  “Fuck my hair.” He reached out and helped Eli step gingerly into the tub, where he straddled Alec’s legs. The water level rose a good bit, but Eli didn’t look interested in moving any
farther up Alec’s body. “You could come a little closer,” Alec encouraged.

  “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

  “Very much,” Alec said, his voice lusty and deep. He didn’t want to play this game anymore. He didn’t want to wait any longer. Eli came closer, carefully positioning himself almost right where Alec wanted him—almost.

  Alec gripped his bottom to pull him closer, but Eli resisted.

  “No.”

  “Good Lord, you’re killing me,” Alec groaned. Eli chuckled, placing a dollop of body wash in his hand and aggressively working it into Alec’s hair. He could feel himself relaxing against his will as Eli massaged his scalp. “I was worried you were angry with me,” Alec said softly.

  “Huh?” Eli continued massaging, and Alec’s eyes grew dreamy, a sloppy grin crossing his lips.

  “After the others left, I looked for you, but you were gone.”

  Eli paused, looking into his eyes. “You mean because of Dray?” Alec nodded, and Eli resumed his efforts. “I didn’t need to see him putting the moves on you, so I came in to get this baahhth ready.” Alec matched Eli’s grin, taking hold of his cock and stroking it. Eli’s hands faltered, and his eyes closed as he briefly lost his balance and leaned into him.

  That did it.

  Alec wrapped his arms around his boyfriend, pulling him in tight against his chest and kissing him. Eli’s cock was pinned between them, and Alec’s bumped deliciously against Eli’s bottom, pulling happy gasps from both of them. Gripping him firmly, as if he feared Eli would slip away again, Alec nibbled at his neck, jaw, and earlobe before again taking his mouth desperately, his forcefulness creating a surge of bathwater that spilled onto the bathroom floor.

  “Oops, sorry,” Alec said, pulling back for a look at the mess they’d made, but the half-open eyes, dreamy expression, and crooked grin on Eli’s face gave him pause. Eli startled him when he suddenly grabbed Alec on either side of his soapy head and kissed him deeply. When they parted he could see in Eli’s face that he, too, was tired of playing this game.