Order (Tattoos and Ties 2)

“…then you were here like I needed you to be.” Alec lifted on his tiptoes, pressing a sloppy kiss to his lips.

“Where’s your car?” he asked after Alec gave him a second simple kiss, coming closer to actually hitting the center of his lips.

“You don’t listen.” Alec grinned at him, seemingly content to stay like that forever. Keyes rested back on his seat, drawing Alec closer. He was fine with that idea. It was a little chilly out, but Alec had wormed his hands and arms inside the leather riding jacket to circle his waist. He was honestly okay with just about anything that involved this man and caught Alec’s wrist as he slid his hand up to his chest. He brought Alec’s palm to his lips, pressing a kiss there as drunk Alec did his normal thing, using all those words to explain in great detail about his night as if Keyes was living it in real time with him.

“…and then you were here. I think we’ve hit that mental telepathy thing. You knew I needed you.”

“Why did you need me?”

Alec gave him a pointed look and pushed back. “You didn’t listen.”

“Maybe not to all of it,” he said cheekily, keeping hold of Alec’s wrist as he turned toward the house. Keyes climbed off his bike and followed, Alec threading their fingers together. “Tell me again.”

“My car’s at the bar,” Alec slurred, unlocking the front door. “I drank too much.” He pushed open the front door, quickly disarmed the home alarm and stepped back into Keyes’s arms, sliding his palms up his chest to thread through his windblown hair. “I’ve changed so much since meeting you. Janice tried to set me up with this guy, and I completely freaked out.”

Keyes brow furrowed as he digested Alec’s unguarded words.

“His name was Sean, and he was in an open relationship. It’s certainly not the first time I’ve been propositioned by someone in a relationship, but now that I’m in a monogamous one, I just felt like I shouldn’t be there any longer. I wanted you there to defend my honor.”

While Alec spoke, he urged Keyes’s head down by pulling at his hair, a move Keyes generally loved, but since he didn’t like one single word coming out of Alec’s mouth, he fought the gentle tug. Oblivious to Keyes’s downward spiraling mood, Alec lifted on his tiptoes to press their lips together. Alec leaned flush against Keyes, his arms circling his back. Keyes gripped Alec’s hips, ready to push him away to finish this conversation when Alec’s tongue darted out, licking across his lower lip, demanding entrance. Damn it, he loved that move, even more than he disliked Alec’s words.

Torn between the hot kiss that was sure to end in a blow job and the knowledge that Alec had gone to a party tonight to be set up with another guy… Yeah, blow job first. Suddenly, he went from mouthing Alec’s cheek to nothing but air. His hand, the one he had lifted to Alec’s chin to better tilt him just to the right angle was now in Alec’s hand, his guy’s thumb slid over his swollen, bruised, and raw knuckles. Keyes let out hiss at the painful exploration and tried to pull his hand away.

“What happened tonight?” Alec didn’t wait for an answer, stepping back from his hold to get a good look at his knuckles. “You’ve been in a fight. Why did I get drunk tonight? You aren’t answering. This is why I hate that club. At some point, you’re seriously going to be injured. You can’t risk yourself like this.”

“What? It wasn’t a fight,” Keyes declared, watching Alec eye him then throw up his hands in indignation, his face contorting from anger to anguish in five seconds flat. Alec took another step away from him.

“Of course, it was. Your knuckles don’t just get torn-up for no reason. I know what a fight injury looks like.” Alec wheeled around, his hand going to his mouth as if he were at a loss for words. Without warning, he threw his hands in the air once again. “Why did I drink so much?”

Alec pivoted on his heels, stalking toward the kitchen. Keyes followed slowly, wondering what in the hell just happened.

“Alec…”

He noticed a first-aid kit his drunk lover had placed in the middle of the counter close to the coffee pot that started its drip as Alec downed gulp after gulp of water from a glass. When he was done, he pushed the glass under the coffee drip and took the cup. His foot bounced as he motioned for Keyes to take a seat. He didn’t. Alec had caused doubt and anxiety to rush through Keyes, and he came forward, trying to understand why Alec had gotten so angry.

“What happened?” Alec demanded.

“What’s goin’ on with you?” he asked, stopping about a foot and a half in front of Alec. “Did you cheat on me?”