CHAPTER NINE
Alex held the key up for Riley to see, and almost dropped it again when their gazes met. In all the years he’d known Riley, he’d never seen that expression directed at him before. Had he been that blind to Riley’s feelings, or had he known deep down and avoided thinking about it? The truth was probably more like he’d spent so long tryingnotto see Riley in that way, he’d missed the signs.
But now, it was impossible not to recognise it. All that want and need laid out on display for anyone to see made Alex’s knees weak to be the cause of it. Was it just the promise of sex, though? Riley was hot, and big, and Alex was so hard at the thought of being underneath him. The way Riley looked at him spoke volumes, and he knew now that whatever Riley said to the contrary, this wasn’t just sex for him.
Not that it was like a random hook-up for Alex either—he loved Riley like family. Could this be themorethat Riley wanted? Alex had spent a lot of time and effort burying his feelings, but maybe it wouldn’t be all that difficult to let them back in.
“Hey.” Riley’s voice as well as his hand cupping the front of Alex’s jeans snapped him out of his head. “Having second thoughts?”
Riley looked uncertain, and Alex realised his erection had softened a little. But each rub of Riley’s palm down the length of his cock was doing a lot to change that.
Alex pulled off his gloves and reached up to tug Riley’s bottom lip from between his teeth. He ran his thumb along it, then slowly pushed the tip inside Riley’s mouth, moaning low and soft when Riley sucked on it. He thrust into Riley’s hand at the same time, and the dual sensations made him drop the key. The clatter as it hit the concrete step startled them both. A quick glance down to where his coat had ridden up showed his jeans pulled taut once again. Alex huffed out a laugh as he bent awkwardly to pick up the key. “Definitely not having second thoughts.”
Riley grinned back at him. All doubt gone from his expression, he looked happier than Alex had seen him in a while. Alex quickly opened the door before he started second-guessing himself again.
Getting their coats and boots off was the easy part. Passing under the numerous bunches of mistletoe without stopping proved much more difficult, because of course they had to kiss under each one.
“Christ, how many more are there?” Alex leaned against the door to his bedroom to catch his breath.
“This must be the last.” Riley pointed over his shoulder at the one above the door to his and Jake’s room. “I think they were hedging their bets.”
Alex hummed in agreement. There’d also been some in the kitchen, the lounge, two going up the stairs, and now this one on Alex’s door frame. “Did everyone know about…?” He waved a hand between the two of them, not sure how to say it without making things awkward again.
“About that night?” Riley didn’t seem bothered that he’d brought it up. He still had a hand on Alex’s hip, and he used it to draw him in for another kiss. “I only told Nick about that,” he whispered against Alex’s mouth and then quickly kissed him again before he could comment.
Alex slid his hand round Riley’s back, and when he went to squeeze his arse, found wet denim. Cold wet denim at that. Riley must've been freezing. Pushing off the door frame, he then walked them backwards, glancing over his shoulder to gauge where the bed was.
Once they’d stopped walking, Alex tugged at Riley’s t-shirt. “Get this off.”
“So bossy.”
Alex arched an eyebrow at the playful tone. “I can be, if you want.” It was weird to be like this with Riley, and yet also not. But it was definitely exciting, and his heartbeat sped up as Riley licked his lips and whispered, “Yeah.”
Okay, then. The idea of ordering Riley around when he was bigger and broader than Alex sent a thrill of arousal straight through him. He reached down to palm his own cock and waved a finger at Riley. “Take off your clothes, and get on the bed.”
The speed with which Riley hurried to comply made him stumble backwards as he tried to peel off those wet, clingy jeans. He fell onto the bed with his feet in the air and a tangle of denim stuck round his ankles.
Alex couldn’t help it: he burst out laughing. He walked over to the bed and peered over Riley’s feet to see him lying there with a hand over his face and his shoulders shaking. “Not exactly how I imagined it, but whatever works.”
Riley grinned up at him. “Oh, fuck off and help me get out of these things. I can’t wait to see how you do it.”
Between them they managed to get Riley free of the clingiest material ever invented, and Alex took his time sliding Riley’s wet boxer briefs down until he was gloriously naked—if a little damp—and stretched out on top of the quilt. For all his earlier bravado, Riley looked seconds away from covering himself.
Alex refused to let that happen. He winked and reached for his belt buckle. “Touch your cock while I get undressed. I want to watch you.”
“Jesus, Alex.”
Alex made a show of stroking his own erection, running his fingers up and down the pronounced outline through his jeans, and Riley had a hand around himself in seconds. Fuck, he looked so hot lying there, spread out on Alex’s bed, waiting for him. “Don’t finish without me.”
Riley closed his eyes, tipped his head back, and moaned as he touched himself. “You better hurry up, then.”
Fucking hell! He’s going to kill me.
Alex yanked his T-shirt off, and threw it somewhere. His jeans slid down his thighs easily enough, despite the knees being wet, but he was distracted watching Riley and wasn’t paying attention to getting them off his feet. He started to move forward without kicking them off fully, tripped, and joined Riley on the bed in an ungraceful heap.
“See. It’s not easy.” Riley’s smug grin just made him look hotter.
Alex managed to get his feet free and turned onto his side. “You distracted me—” He moved Riley’s hand away and replaced it with his own. Both of them stilled. “—with this,” he finished a lot more seriously than he’d intended. But fuck it, he was touching Riley, his best friend for the past seven years. He had his hand on Riley’s cock, and that should probably scare the shit out of him, but he just wanted to kiss him and watch him come.
