Page 35 of The Truth of Our Past

“Surprise me.”

I haul myself out of bed, and it’s terrible. It resembles returning from a sunny day to a dank, empty house. But I manage a quick shower and pull on old, comfortable, athletic clothes to work in. The one benefit of my past career is an abundance of tight-fittingstretchable fabrics that are ideal for working and fitting under my flame-retardant welding suit.

Alec still hasn’t moved from the middle of the bed, and his eyes are unfocused, trained upward. I leave him to his brooding.

By the time he comes out of my bedroom, he’s showered and dressed in my clothes. They’re slightly long on him, but the way he fills out the material has my stomach fluttering. It’s because I haven’t eaten yet. All the lies I’m willing to believe are piling up. There is a very faint, far-off warning bell chiming in my head.

Wordlessly, he takes a seat at the island, and I push a plate of eggs mixed with vegetables and a bagel at him. Alec examines the different spreads I’ve put out for the bagels. He chooses butter and blueberry jam.

We eat in silence, and I miss the sound of his voice. I’m afraid if I break the silence, he’ll leave. I search for the right words to tell him I would like to do this again. We can do a short-term arrangement if he is willing. I’ll be here for years, and it would be nice to have an amazing sex partner.

He spins the stool and stares out at the sunlight streaming through my enormous windows.

“It should be a nice day,” Alec says casually as if we were in the middle of a conversation.

“Yes, according to the weather report.”

“A great day for a motorcycle ride.” His words are carefree, but he’s nervously twisting on the stool.

“You ride?” I ask to figure out why that would make him edgy.

Alec nods for the second time this morning and it’s unnerving because he always has so much to say. I can understand why it infuriated him when instead of speaking to him, I would simply nod. If he had done this before yesterday, I would assume he was trying to annoy me, but this is about him––not me.

“You want to take a ride with me?” His face flushes.

I’m stunned. It’s intimate and we have to trust each other. I’m a big guy and he has to handle a bike and me. And I have to trust he can do it.

“Yes,” I manage to say. If I can figure out how to keep spending time with Alec, maybe we won’t have to discuss it.

“Cool.” Alec picks up our plates and brings them to the sink.

We’re flying down the highway, my thighs bracketing Alec’s, and I haven’t felt this alive in years. I had a liability waiver in my contract that would not allow for risky activities off of the pitch. Alec handles the bike as if it’s an extension of himself, and he has no problems with the weight of me on the back. He zips in and out of traffic, avoiding cars that don’t check their blind spots.

I trust Alec to keep us safe. He exits at the next off-ramp and drives alongside the water. I don’t think it’s the Hudson River, but I don’t know the geography. He slows the bike and pulls into a parking area but keeps driving until we’re on grass and out of sight.

I haven’t let go, even though he’s taken his helmet off. I feel him chuckle but don’t hear the sound.

“You okay back there?” He turns his head slightly, but my helmet is in the way, so he pats my leg.

I release his waist and remove my helmet.

“Viking?” he asks because I still haven’t spoken.

Alec somehow uses me as leverage to swing his leg up and over, so he’s facing me on the bike. It’s the damn sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.

We don’t need words when our mouths can do the talking. As I kiss down his throat, his head tips back to give me better access. His skin tastes salty from the effort of driving. If we weren’t in public, I’d taste him everywhere, then blow him.

“So I guess this means you like being on the back of my bike.” Alec is so damn cocky, but it’s infuriatingly attractive.

“I want you naked, so I can ride you on your bike,” I say without considering logistics.

“You’ll literally be the death of me.” Alec pushes me so I’m laid out on his bike, but there isn’t enough room, so I’m using my stomach muscles to hold myself up. “This is a fantasy if I’ve ever seen one. But it’s too cold to get naked, and I don’t have any supplies. You hiding some in your pocket?” He runs his knuckles over my erection.

I shake my head.

“Fucking tease.” Alec gives my dick a squeeze. “I guess I gotta take you back. You’re lucky I had to charge my phone at your place. Otherwise, I might leave you here.” His threat is meaningless with the toe-curling kiss he gives me.

Earlier, he’d called Cole and told him he needed the day off for appreciation. I’d been able to hear Cole grumbling on the other end, which became louder when Alec said this was the counteroffer to taking Shane to bed. I don’t understand why Alec says those things or why Cole puts up with it because I’m certain Alec does not actually want to sleep with Shane. He’s so brazen with his language, it’s unnerving how free he is.

---