Yeah, that was a close enough word to describe him… There was something untamed about Malachi, not to mention he was the tallest, broadest, most handsome man Alfie had ever seen in his life.
Alfie felt positively delicate in this man’s presence. Not that he hadn’t met men taller than him. At five foot six and a half, most guys he’d dated were, if only by two inches, but everything about this man was…more.
Alfie couldn’t help it, his eyes wandered up and down the positively droolworthy body before him.
He took in the broad shoulders, muscled arms, washboard-flat abs that he could see through the fitted t-shirt, and well-muscled thighs. God, Alfie loved summer because it would be a crime for all the beautiful tanned skin to be covered up in winter layers. With the deep V-neck shirt and chino shorts… the man was a treat to look at, and Alfie couldn’t seem to stop looking.
His first thought was this man was nothing like Rupert.
Throat clearing had Alfie looking up, and his face flamed as he saw that the beautiful man before him had an amused grin on his face.
“Care to let me in?” The man’s voice was deep and had a smoky quality to it.Fuck, he could listen to him speak all day.
Alfie stepped back and refused to meet the man’s eyes.Stare much, Alfie?He couldn’t stop the sigh that escaped. Dammit, no one could blame him. He didn’t think he’d ever seen such a perfectly sculpted… did he mentionperfect—piece of man? He was the kind of man Alfie could never have dreamed about if he tried, but he had to be every gay guy's dream… It would be just his luck that the man probably happened to be straight and married—with kids.
“Axel was worried about you. He said you…” Malachi started.
Alfie looked up at him as the man stopped speaking and let out a growl.
“What the hell happened to you?” Malachi stepped forward and used his finger to gently lift Alfie’s face.
Alfie had forgotten about the state of his face for a moment as he had been checking out his visitor.
“Uhh, it was an accident,” Alfie replied. A thought occurred to him, making him frown. “Wait, how did you say you knew Axel? Are you his… are you and Axel?”
He stepped back from the man and immediately felt the loss of his touch. Alfie didn’t want to finish the sentence. For some reason, the thought of this man and his brother together made him feel a little nauseated. Something about the stranger… Malachi, soothed the anxiety Alfie had been feeling since he’d left Rupert’s flat.
Malachi took a step forward, closing the gap between them. “Axel and my brother are together, they’re… they… Axel was a little indisposed, so I volunteered to make the trip, and I’m so glad I did.”
Alfie looked up and met Malachi’s gaze. “You are?”
“You have no idea,” the man whispered. His eyes looked like they had changed, almost glowing, but then in the blink of an eye, that was gone. Like he’d imagined it.
“Your eyes.” Alfie lifted his hand to touch, but dropped it before he reached the man’s face. It felt way too forward.
Malachi lifted Alfie’s hand and placed it on his face. “You can put your hands on me whenever you want.” The way he said those words had Alfie’s whole body at attention.
Holy fuck… was this stunning man flirting with him?
Alfie looked up and held Malachi’s gaze, but the man didn’t flinch… he just let Alfie look his fill, even though he wasn’t sure what he was looking for.
Alfie looked away when he started feeling like he was being laid bare and the man could see everything.
“Who did you say you were again?” Alfie asked.
Five
Malachi
Malachi couldn’t take his eyes off his mate. There was a part of his brain that was screaming,I have a mate! I have a mate!repeatedly.
Who would have thought that this was how this day would go? When he realised his mate was expecting an answer, he thought back to the question Alfie had asked.
“To answer your question, my name is Malachi. My brother, his name is Malek… I’m sure Axel must have mentioned him... He and Axel are engaged,” Malachi replied to his mate's questions.
Malachi had heard the sliver of jealousy that had crept into his mate’s voice when he had asked, or rather tried to ask, if he was dating Axel… His mate might not understand the mate bond, but the subtle scent of arousal in the room said he was definitely drawn to Malachi, and that was a wonderful place to start.
Alfie moved away from him, and Malachi's eyes narrowed as he took in the man’s slow careful steps. It put everything else on the backburner. Something was off. His brows furrowed as he tried to work out what was bugging him.
