“Alexei,” he said. “I am so turned on right now.”
“Good,” Alexei said. “Me too. Where are you staying?”
“The Best Western, just across the bridge.”
“Oh, thank God.” Alexei kissed Ben’s tattoo, then rested his forehead against Ben’s neck. “How long?”
“Just a couple days. Ted was happy to give me a little time off, but between the flights and everything…”
“A couple days is amazing.”
“You don’t have to stay the whole time, if you have to keep hiking,” Ben said. “Isn’t it getting tight, if you want to reach Canada before the snow? It’s okay if you need to keep walking, Lex.”
Alexei was quiet a long moment.
“I actually wasn’t sure if I’d keep going,” he said into Ben’s chest. “My body’s starting to hurt. Maybe I’d just stop here.”
“Oh. Well, that would make sense, too.” Ben shrugged. “It’s your hike, Lex.”
Alexei’s arms wrapped around Ben’s back, suddenly capturing him in a tight hug.
After another beat, he said, half muffled into Ben’s shirt, “But I think I’m going to go for it. I’m so close. Might as well try. Right?”
Ben’s heart twisted. Half in pride. Half with the need to hold Alexei so tight, he could never do anything dangerous ever again.
He nuzzled his face in Alexei’s hair.
“Yes,” he said. “Except I actually do have one condition.”
“Hm?”
“Before you get back on the trail, you have to let me drive you to Portland so you can get your damn phone.”
A laugh. Alexei snuck his hands under Ben’s shirt again. “Stop.” Ben smacked Alexei’s fingers. “That tickles. Oh, and you have to keep writing me. At every single post office. And you have to make them extra sappy now. So I guess that’s two conditions.”
“Ben.” Alexei shifted, pressed his mouth against Ben’s neck again. Ben shivered. “Does your hotel room have a king bed?”
“There weren’t any available,” Ben lamented on a half wheeze. “Only queens.”
“I suppose that works, too.” Alexei sucked at his earlobe.
“It does have a shower, though,” Ben said. “And I have to say, Lex, you smell quite horrible. God, I forgot what the trail smells like. Is it weird that your BO makes me feel sentimental?”
Alexei smiled against Ben’s cheek.
“Ben?”
“Yeah?”
“Take me there.”
Epilogue
Portland, Oregon
One year later
Rex popped his head into Alexei’s office at 11:00 a.m., right on schedule. If anything, Alexei was surprised he hadn’t seen him already today.
