Alec searched the papers for the reference to the man who’d posted bail for Key when he’d been eighteen years old. Clyde Carter. He must be Key’s uncle.
Key wouldn’t like Alec knowing all this. He was too proud of a man.
How did Key not have a million trust issues?
Of course, his biker couldn’t say I love you. He might not ever be able to say those words aloud.
Moreover, their differences just became more clearly defined. He didn’t really know Key—not all of him. What had Alec hoped to accomplish by insisting an outlaw biker blend into his life? Key was so grounded, at ease with his decisions. He navigated a world that Alec had very little knowledge of. The man hadn’t let his environment consume him. It flowed around him but never swallowed him. Alec envied that.
Alec’s life hadn’t been perfect, but the show his father put on for the world would easily convince anyone otherwise. Alec had grown accustomed to the cold, distant acknowledgement whenever he came around. His family continually rejected him. No, he hadn’t been physically injured like Key, but emotionally, he’d been hurt. Abuse wore many faces, and Alec had no doubt his parents’ public life had probably been the only reason their disgust hadn’t manifested into a physical form. The marks left by his and Key’s pasts made them the men they were today.
Somehow, he had been able to develop a strong sense of self—perhaps Key had too. Alec would always have to remember to rein in his natural pushy tendencies and allow Key room to be comfortable. It was a lot for Alec to take on, and he let out a long, deep sigh, resting back in the seat again.
“Why all the doom and gloom, Pierce? Nothing’s changed,” he said to the empty room, trying to pick himself up, shake off some of this sadness plaguing him since reading all this terrible information.
“Except, everything’s changed.”
What was he doing?
Hell, if this relationship ended, Key could be hurt, but as fast and loose as Alec had been with his heart, Alec would be destroyed.
Building resolve, Alec knew he must guard against ever hurting Key—he’d been through too much in his life. Alec must always be open and honest with Key. On this point, there was no room for failure.
The image of Key on his knees, begging Alec for time, soared to life. Key had never been afraid of anything until Alec. The true understanding of what that meant nearly crushed his soul.
Alec’s phone chirped, and he looked to where his phone rested on the desk, thankful for the interruption of his downward spiraling thoughts. Alec reached over, expecting to see some partying photo from Blaine. His buddy had been sending them all night, taunting Alec with the good time he and his new best friend were having. Instead of Blaine’s name, he saw Key’s.
It was insane how much his heart needed to hear from his guy tonight. No doubt, Key had overcome his upbringing, but Alec seemed to be the one needing comfort as he imagined the life Key had once endured. Alec swiped a thumb across the screen to one of Key’s longest messages ever.
“Goodnight sorry I did not call before now. Tried to make it over got tied up.” The simple words were read as if Key had caressed his heart. Instead of texting, Alec pushed the phone option, calling Key as he rose from his office chair, pulling the chain to his desk lamp.
“Did I wake you?” Key asked in lieu of a greeting. “I didn’t think I should text.”
“Not at all. I’m awake. I’ve been working. I’ve got a case that’s bothering me.” Alec rolled his eyes at the extreme understatement as he left the office. The lights behind him dimmed as he started down the hall, his newest smart home feature.
“Have I been comin’ over too much?”
Alec ducked his head, chin to chest, watching his feet move and smiled. Key always worried he was an imposition. Alec’s heart warmed. He couldn’t change Key’s life up until the time they’d met, but he could do his part to give Key a better life now. He just had to figure their way out.
“Not at all. I want you here. Maybe a more honest explanation as to why I’m still awake is that I don’t sleep as well without you here. I seem to think you belong here with me,” Alec mused, knowing he’d never spoken truer words.
“Hmm…” Key’s voice turned husky and deep—his sexy-time voice. Next came a yawn that slipped out and dented the mental image Alec had drawn of his guy readying for sex. Key was more likely readying for bed, but that was okay too. “You’ve never told me that before.”
“You know I’d rather you be here. I’ve made that clear.” Alec put the phone on speaker mode, placing it on the sink counter in his bathroom. He dropped his shorts, and immediately bent down, reaching for them to fold. That was the-always-clean Key coming out in him.