To Mark’s disappointment, Alec moved his arm from around his shoulders and sat up. “No, I don’t worry about biting someone. There has to be feelings involved for that to happen. I don’t plan to get that attached to anyone.”
That stung, even though it shouldn’t. It was too weird being the only one lying down, so Mark sat up and rested his arms on his knees. “Not ever?”
“No.”
That bothered Mark too much to let it go, even though Alec’s body language told him to drop it. “Why?”
Alec let out a heavy sigh and slumped back against the headboard before turning his head to face Mark. “I’m not exactly mate material.”
Mark begged to differ. In the short while he’d known him, Alec seemed like perfect mate material, once you got past the cold exterior. But Alec was already climbing out of bed.
Conversation over.
“I’ll drop you back after we’ve showered.”
“Thanks.”
Mark watched him walk away to the bathroom, silently cursing his stupid mouth. Never in a million years had he expected Alec to open up to him like that, to tell him something so personal. For a while Mark had felt…specialto be the one he could talk to, for whatever reason. Stupidly he’d thought they might be headed for more than a stress relieving fuck, even with the trouble between their packs.
He put his head in his hands and groaned.
Fucking idiot.
Alec had promised him nothing. He shouldn’t let himself get carried away just because the sex was great.
Amazing even.
Maybe if he’d not totally fucked things up, they could keep doing that. Mark had a feeling he’d need stress relief a lot over the next few days.
By the time Alec came out of the shower, Mark had a plan. The low-slung towel around Alec’s hips threatened to derail it, but Mark tore his gaze away. “So I was thinking….”
Alec stopped towelling dry his hair and looked at him, eyebrows raised. “Yes?” His eyes had a playful glint to them. At least a shower seemed to have improved his mood.
“Since we keep ending up here, maybe I should have your number. In case the tension gets too much for me again. Or you.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, do you?”
Mark grinned. “Yes, obviously. That’s why I mentioned it.”
At least Alec laughed. “Fine, let me rephrase. I think it’s a bad idea. The worst.”
Gesturing between the two of them, Mark said, “Worse than this? We’ve already made the bad decision. Why not make the most of it?”
Dropping his towel, Alec hummed, as though giving the matter some thought. Mark’s gaze dropped straight down to his cock, thick and heavy-looking even when soft. “You may have a point.” He strode across the bedroom and fished out some clean underwear from the chest of drawers there.
Mark watched him step into them and slowly slide them up his solid thighs.Please say yes.I don’t want this to be the last time I get to see those.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Alec positioned himself so that he faced Mark. “Does your alpha know about us?”
Mark shook his head.
“Your beta? Does Jason know?”
“Yeah, he knows.” Mark bit his lip, debating whether to elaborate. Turned out he didn’t need to because Alec was a mind reader.
“Let me guess, he told you not to tell Newell?”
Hesitating, Mark met Alec’s gaze. “I thought we weren’t going to discuss pack business.”
