I’m just thinking how pretty the walk is when the skies open and it starts to rain. Then pour. Secure in the knowledge that my laptop won’t get wet—my case is waterproof—I kind of enjoy it.
But when I knock on Rex’s door, I know I must look like a drowned rat because he takes one look at me and pulls me inside, shaking his head.
“Daniel, don’t you ever check the weather?” he chides, and I shake my head. I’m shivering now, and he drops my bag on the mat and pulls off my sodden jacket. I kick off my shoes.
“Jesus, you’re freezing,” he says, eyes flashing. He shakes his head at me in frustration. “Come here,” he says and leads me to the bathroom, reaching over my shoulder to turn on the shower. I’m having major déjà vu of the first night I was here, in February, when Rex took me into that bathroom to look at my bruises. My cheeks heat a little, still embarrassed at how strong I came on that night. Doubly embarrassed if it turns out that, not long after, Rex was fucking Will, probably telling him about the pathetic loser who threw himself at him. I can see Will’s perfect face smiling, enjoying the idea that his man is so irresistible. My hands fist and Rex jerks when I squeeze him.
“Sorry,” I say.
He sticks his hand in to test the water, then reaches for my sweater to pull it off.
“I can do it,” I say absently, pulling the sweater off from the bottom. He takes it from me and lays it out on the sink. Then he reaches for the buttons on my shirt. “I got it,” I say.
“Daniel, stop,” Rex says, his voice exhausted. I look up at him. “Please, let’s not be back here. This is my fault. Because of Will. I know. But, come on.”
I narrow my eyes at him expectantly. Rex looks at me exasperatedly, but there’s warmth there too.
He steps closer to me and closes the door so Marilyn can’t come in and drink the toilet water. He reaches for me and I step away from him.
“Well?” I finally say. Rex sighs.
“Will and I used to date. Years ago. But that was a long time ago. We’re just friends now. But, every now and again when he comes to town, we’ll—”
“Fuck,” I finish for him.
“Yeah. But that’s all it is.”
I look up at him, trying to read whether it’s true in his face. He meets my gaze intently, but he seems irritated or something.
“It didn’t seem like that’s all it was to him,” I say.
Rex snorts.
“Yeah, well, Will is contrary that way. But believe me, that’s all it is. He just likes to be alpha dog.”
“Hmm,” I say. “Interesting.”
Rex blushes.
“Look,” he says, running his hands up and down my ribs. “I know it was real bad timing last night. It must’ve seemed bad, what with everything you told me about Richard. But, Daniel, you have to know that I would never do that.”
I let out a breath and nod.
“I love undressing you,” he says. He kisses my neck, his mouth warm against my cold skin. “You always shiver just a little, and your nipples get hard.” He strips my shirt off my arms and pulls my T-shirt off. Then he runs his thumbs over my nipples and my stomach clenches. “You’re so beautiful.” He kisses my mouth and I put my arms around him tentatively.
He undoes my pants and pulls them and my underwear down. He nudges me into the hot shower but doesn’t close the door, and my eyes are glued to him as he strips and gets in with me.
He puts me under the water and rubs his hands up and down my arms to warm me up. Then he washes my hair, careful, as before, that no soap gets in my eyes. I lean back into him, my sleepless night catching up with me, and he wraps his arms around my waist. I turn in his arms to kiss him. As our mouths move together, Rex pulls me toward him, cupping my ass and squeezing with both hands. A bolt of arousal shoots through me. I press kisses up his throat, standing on my toes to reach his mouth again.
Rex kisses the same way he seems to do everything else: with a combination of confident power and gentle sweetness that completely gets to me. He pushes me against the wall with his body, tipping my head up so he can keep kissing me as we grind together. He cups my hip in one hand and runs the other between my cheeks to find my opening. His wet fingers slide inside me and I groan, the heat of his body and the heat of the water mixing with the heat of his fingers inside me to make me a little dizzy. Rex groans when I run my hands down his muscular back to pull him closer to me. His ass is tight as he rocks against me.