Chapter Three

Keyes

“We have a delicious ground turkey and vegetable scramble,” Alec said, his head stuck inside the refrigerator. “It looks good. It has baby bok choy, Broccolini, edamame, mushrooms, the spicy red peppers you like so much, onions, pomegranate seeds, and sunflower seeds. You like Broccolini…” Alec paused, poking his head past the door, waiting for Keyes’s response as if he didn’t already know the answer.

Keyes sat in his usual spot on top of a tall barstool on the other side of the kitchen island.

“Pass,” he said, knowing Alec had a wealth of dinners inside the refrigerator, which allowed him to pick a dish he liked better.

This was their way every night. Keyes watched Alec prepare their dinner or on nights like this, the housekeeper made the recipes Alec instructed then played surprised at what he found inside the fridge. Though, all that was usually done to encourage Keyes to eat a healthier meal.

Honestly, he was getting there, but he still enjoyed his beef. Ground turkey didn’t classify as real meat. No poultry is categorized as hearty. He didn’t make the rules about real meat but absolutely lived by them with his whole heart.

“But she made the coconut rice you like to go with it,” Alec said to sweeten the pot. The nightly negotiations had begun. His lawyer was a dog with a bone when he tried to get what he wanted.

“Pass,” Keyes said again and started a rolling hand motion for Alec to move on.

“Keyes…” Alec said with a lecture sure to follow.

“Alec…” Keyes said back.

Alec wrinkled his brow, giving him a stern look as if he didn’t see that same expression many times a day from his mister. Keyes wasn’t sure what effect Alec would hope that had in the present moment.

Luckily, Alec relented without more of a fight. His head disappeared back around the refrigerator door. “Looks like we have spaghetti sauce with tortellini. Olivia makes those fresh, usually with ground beef, I believe.”

“With ground beef in the sauce?” Keyes asked. Alec had tricked him by using ground veggie crumbles a time or two, passing them off as ground beef. They never fooled Keyes, not one single time.

“Mmm hmm…”

“Sounds good. I like you in those skintight workout clothes,” Keyes added to shift the topic before Alec attempted to go back to the Broccolini idea. Alec squared his shoulders and wiggled his ass in appreciation. The move was designed to be alluring and playful and made Keyes smile. When Alec brought both plates from the refrigerator, a large helping of Broccolini took up a third of Keyes’s spaghetti plate.

One comment about the vegetable and that was only said in an attempt at foreplay, and now he ate Broccolini a couple of times a week.

Keyes blamed Cash’s influence for Alec’s redirection of their food intake.

“You’re trying to distract me. But it won’t work. I want you to live a long life with me.” Alec’s words were becoming akin to a broken record as he set each plate in the fancy new warming drawer. He claimed it would better heat their food.

“You’re gettin’ more muscular,” Keyes added casually. He rested his forearms on the granite countertop as he pushed up from the bottom rung to better check out Alec’s hot body.

“Now you’re just being silly,” Alec drawled, reaching for the oven mitts.

“No, I’m not. I’m bein’ honest.”

Alec smiled the smile Keyes liked so much and tossed the mitts on the counter in easy reach of the warmer. He went for the glass of wine he’d poured earlier.

“Tell me the progress you’ve made on the prototype.”

Keyes smirked and lifted his gaze to look Alec directly in the eyes. They exchanged something in the stare. Probably Alec’s growing frustration with being left out of this phase of the bike-building process. He repeated Alec’s words from earlier. “You handle your end, and I’ll handle my end. Isn’t that what you always say?”

Alec narrowed his eyes as he tilted back the wineglass, draining the contents in one long swallow. A single dropped brow gave away his irritation.

His guy spoke of their love being soulmate-worthy. Something special and unique. They understood one another on a different plane. Secrets didn’t exist between them. That was until Alec found out Keyes wasn’t working from the shop on their property every day. Questions flew with no answer appeasing his guy.

Alec was a hard one to keep secrets from, and the holidays were still months away. Maybe if he stayed on his toes, having a ready arsenal of answers… Yeah, it’d still be damned hard.

The completion of Alec’s bike hinged on Dev finishing the art. Keyes had requested some sort of play on the kneeling angel back tattoo Dev had inked on him almost a year ago. Dev had outdone himself and was sure to hit the mark this time too.

Alec would shit when he saw the finished product.

Pride overwhelmed him. He had a knack for building badass bikes. He’d never been real smart about anything. Good to see he had a skill at something.

“How did I do today? Be honest. I’ve never made a PowerPoint presentation before. Hell, I never presented anything before. I had to google everything. Even how to open the program to build the pages,” Keyes said and reached for the bottle of beer he’d grabbed before sitting down, tilting it back for a long swig. The bitter taste of building the presentation didn’t wash away. Hell, the trauma caused by working so hard on the thirty-seven-page PowerPoint might need counseling to overcome.

~~~

Alec

Once Alec understood the direction of Keyes’s question, he turned away, which never happened when Keyes was around. His guy was the most handsome man in the world. He deserved every bit of Alec’s focused attention. But Keyes was trying hard to be a knowledgeable business owner even though he’d failed spectacularly this afternoon. Alec searched for anything to occupy his hands.

He paused. Letting the quiet linger between them like a wrecking ball.

He was waiting too long to be believable.

Jeez. He was an attorney, for God’s sake. He laid out bold truths for a living. Why couldn’t he do that now?

Because he knew the care Keyes put into making his presentation unique and thorough.

A presentation Keyes insisted on giving once he learned how start-up businesses had to lay out their plans for bankers and investors to offer up money. A poor business plan scared investors away. Keyes was determined to be mindful of every stage of the shop’s development, including Alec’s investment.

What Keyes had presented was a business plan that was too thorough and scattered in a mishmash of data and ideas. Poor Dev. His contribution was to digitally turn the pages. Keyes had been all over the place, impossible to follow. Keyes had often barked at Dev for turning the pages too quickly or not fast enough.

Alec’s gaze landed on the warmer. Finally, a real reason to look away. The warming drawer just became the best purchase of his life. Alec grabbed a fork and moved the spaghetti around to check its temperature.

“You reaffirmed my investment before you were finished.” Alec’s voice sounded off, so he cleared his throat, then added, “Real solid.”

“Why did you say it like that?” Keyes asked, skepticism ringing in his tone. “Your voice sounds different.”

Alec reached for the oven mitt and scooted the plate from underneath the coils. “Sinuses,” he said, placing the plate on a table mat in front of Keyes. He ventured a quick glance up. Their gazes collided. The small smile that formed happened regularly. Keyes took his breath like he took his heart. Thankfully, Keyes nodded.

Whew. Bullet dodged. Good.

Alec turned away and removed his plate next. There was no conceivable way that the food was completely warmed.

“If the prototype isn’t complete, can I look at the blueprints? I’m excited to see what you’ve come up with,” Alec said, setting his plate on the table mat beside Keyes.

It took several long moments while he gathered two glasses of water and silverware before he realized Keyes hadn’t answered.

This time, when he glanced at Keyes, he got a sassy smirk that was all his guy. He didn’t like that look one bit, because it meant Keyes thought something was obvious when it wasn’t at all.

“What?” Alec’s mind raced. “The blueprints aren’t ready. That can’t be right.”

“You’re fishin’,” Keyes said knowingly and lifted the fork. His attention went to the plate, dismissing Alec. “You sure this is ground beef?”

“Key,” Alec said forcefully, drawing Keyes’s knowing grin back his way. “What am I fishing for?”

Keyes’s face morphed again. This time, he gave a dramatic eye roll with a broader smile. “I know you wanna be a full partner. It’s cool. I mentioned it to Dev this afternoon, but there have to be rules. You’ve gotta be honest with me all the time. And stop buyin’ me all the presents. You gotta watch the budget the same as me. And for sure, we want you to handle all the advertisin’ and marketin’. I’ve only ever bought advertisin’ on grocery carts. That’s not our target audience for these bikes. Teach me how to do it as we go. I figure we’ll cut you in as a third and still pay you back for the investment with interest.”

“I didn’t ask for interest,” Alec said, stunned.

“No, but it’s the right thing to do. If you’re givin’ us your money, then it’s not earnin’ interest somewhere else.” At that moment, Alec’s heart jumped from his chest, snuggling against Keyes.

“You always watch out for me. I’m lucky to have you,” Alec said as he went around the island to stand beside Keyes. “You’re the best part of my life.”

Keyes gave a humph, perhaps liking the words but also letting Alec know that he thought the words were ridiculous. Alec’s hand went to Keyes’s shoulder, gently caressing his big bicep.

“I love you,” Alec whispered as Keyes turned, drawing Alec between his parted thighs.

“Love you more,” Keyes murmured and slid his palms up Alec’s back, then massaged down until his hands gripped each ass cheek and held on. “I’m not that hungry…”

“Is this what you were waiting to say to me before I get access to the blueprints?” Alec asked, interrupting Keyes.

Keyes’s hands fell away. “You never let it go. I just made you an official partner, and you’re still unhappy.”

He turned toward his plate, dismissing Alec as he picked up his fork again.

Alec remembered a time in the not-so-distant past when he’d have insecurity about Keyes giving him the cold shoulder. Not anymore. He reached for Keyes’s forearm, twisting it until Keyes looked at him. “What’s the reason you won’t show me what you’ve been working on?”

Keyes’s brows dropped, not in anger but in concentration. “I’m not ready to show you. It’s not done, and I want it to be just right. It’s the first bike I’ve made…”

“It’s not the first…” Alec started and stopped speaking when Keyes launched himself from the chair, causing Alec to back away several steps. Keyes kept coming until Alec found himself hoisted over Keyes’s broad shoulder, easily tossed there. Keyes’s strong arm wrapped tightly around his lower legs while his free hand swatted Alec’s ass as he started toward their bedroom.

“When it's time, I’ll show you,” Keyes growled and swatted a hand over one of Alec’s ass cheeks playfully.

“Let me down,” Alec said and tried to kick his legs. Keyes had a tight hold and swatted his ass again as he moved through the living room.

“Say you’ll stop askin’,” Keyes said, taking long strides through the house. “I’ll show you when I’m ready for you to see.”

“Key, you know I can’t do that.” A heavier slap landed on his ass. A breath he hadn’t known he held rushed free as a sensual warmth spread over his body. Alec was thoroughly aroused, his cock swelling at record speed.

“Yes, you can. Say you’ll stop askin’.”

Alec pushed his fingers into the waistband of Keyes’s jeans. The damn belt kept him from sliding his hands all the way in. Keyes swatted him again. The sensation had his eyes closing, his body tingling as Keyes tossed Alec from his shoulder like a rag doll to land on their bed with a bounce.

He barely had time to get to his elbows before Keyes reached for his runners, flicking each one off before tossing them over his shoulder.

“I’ll suck you before I fuck you if you say you’ll wait until I’m ready to show you,” Keyes growled, the dominant tone sending vibrations of lust straight to Alec’s core.

Jeez. His favorite way to make love.

The tingles sprinted over his nerve endings. Alec dropped back down on the mattress as his cock did its best to burst free of the confines of his compression shorts.

“Deal,” he finally murmured, unsure if he could keep the vow for any length of time. Reasonably, he understood he didn’t want to rush Keyes. He wanted his muscular mister happy and proud of the end product. Sounded doable. Alec grinned and lifted his ass as Keyes brought his shorts down his waist while massaging his hard-on with the big, calloused palm.

Tonight was shaping up to be a perfect night.