Nine
ALEX was staring at Leo as if he’d suddenly grown two heads. “You… you want to be there?”
Leo smiled. “Do you think I’d let you deal with them on your own? Why do you think I was asking about your home life, Alex? I needed to know what you’d be facing when you told them. So… now I know, and I’ll be at your side. Hell, I’ll do most of the talking if you want.”
He could almost see the idea taking root in Alex’s mind. He wasn’t surprised Alex was considering his proposition. Leo had already worked out that Alex avoided confrontation wherever possible, preferring to keep to the background. Well, unfortunately, his little fuck of a brother had changed all that.
“We do this one of two ways,” Leo said matter-of-factly. He wasn’t giving Alex any wriggle room. “Either we both go now, today, and you can introduce me to them, or… I turn up unannounced on your doorstep one night. I’d say it’s your choice, but I already know you well enough by now to know you’d rather stick pins in your eyes than make a decision.” He smirked as Alex’s mouth opened and then closed again. No argument there, then.
“Leo, I’m scared.” Alex’s eyes were so large and round.
“I know.” Leo tried to keep his tone peaceful and soothing, but he knew inside Alex was a mass of nerves. “Do you think your parents are even the slightest bit homophobic? Is that it?” Alex shook his head. Well, that was one blessing, at any rate. “Then what’s your main concern?”
Alex glanced down at their intertwined hands. “I’m already a failure in their eyes,” he said, his voice trembling. “I don’t want to give them any more reasons to look down on me.”
Leo wanted so much to wrap his arms around the boy in that moment. Instead, he made do with tightening his grip on Alex’s hand. “You are not a failure, Alex,” he said firmly. Inside, he was seething. His fucking parents…. Some people didn’t deserve to have children. And in that moment, his mind was made up. They were doing this tonight. And then he’d find a way to get Alex out of that house for good.
Leo stood up, releasing Alex’s hand, and reached for his jacket from the back of his seat. Alex remained seated, his eyes downcast. Leo put out his hand. “Come on, boy. Let’s get you home.”
ALEX couldn’t believe he was going along with this insanity.
He sat in the passenger seat of Leo’s Mazda as they sped through the streets on their way to Alex’s house. Alex’s thoughts were racing. What on earth was he thinking? He couldn’t begin to imagine how his parents would react to him turning up with a boyfriend, especially one fifteen years older than himself. But he couldn’t say no to Leo.
He glanced across at Leo, who appeared quite calm. How the fuck could he be so calm? Alex felt as though he was about to dissolve into a puddle of frayed nerves at any second.
As if he’d read his thoughts, Leo placed his hand on Alex’s thigh. “It’ll be all right,” he said. Alex envied Leo his composure. Leo glanced toward him. “Okay, where do I go now?”
Alex realized they were in the street where Leo had dropped him off a mere eighteen hours earlier. He pointed to the next corner, his hand shaking. Embarrassed, he quickly lowered his hand. Leo pulled onto Alex’s street, and Alex indicated the house, a semidetached with a neat little front garden and a short driveway, his father’s car already parked there.
Leo pulled up in front of the house and switched off the engine.
Alex sat there, trembling. He couldn’t do this. Couldn’t. Even though he knew in his heart Leo was right. He could feel Leo’s eyes on him. “Leo, I… I can’t.” Alex hated how pitiful he was sounding right now, but he couldn’t help it.
Leo cupped his chin, turning Alex’s head toward him. Those blue eyes met his, and Alex had to fight the urge to look away. “It’ll be okay.” There was something in his tone that seemed to speak directly to Alex’s heart. And then Leo leaned across and kissed him.
Oh….
Alex lost himself in that tender kiss. It was only the meeting of their lips, but it felt like so much more. It gave him strength.
ALEX turned the key and opened the front door, not surprised his hand shook. Leo was behind him as they entered the hallway. Behind the closed lounge door, Alex heard the faint murmur of the TV. Saturday night in front of the box, something he’d usually avoided by going to his room. He paused at the threshold, taking in a deep breath. Leo placed his hand at his lower back, rubbing in leisurely circles, as if reassuring him. Seizing what little courage he had left, Alex opened the door and entered the room.
His mother was seated in her usual armchair, knitting a warm-looking sweater and occasionally glancing at the TV. His father occupied the remaining armchair, a newspaper spread over his knees and a mug of tea held precariously over it. The TV was showing some medical drama, although it didn’t appear to be holding their interest. And Rob was sprawled on the sofa, glued to his iPhone, paying the TV no attention whatsoever. Rob glanced up and caught sight of them, his eyes widening when he saw Leo.
Rob leaped to his feet, disbelief clearly showing in his expression. “What’s he doing here?” he demanded, pointing at Leo.
Alex’s parents turned their heads in the same moment to look.
Leo stepped forward into the center of the room as Alex’s mother put down her knitting and stood up, her expression obviously one of puzzlement. Leo held out his hand. “Mrs. Daniels, I’m delighted to meet you. I’m Leo Hart, a friend of Alex’s.”
Alex had to bite his lip to prevent the smirk that threatened an appearance. Friend? Well, that was a new one.
His mother took the proffered hand and shook. True to form, his father stayed in his seat, but folded up his newspaper, looking Leo up and down with interest.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Hart. I didn’t realize Alex would be here this evening.” His mother glanced at the clock on the mantelpiece above the fireplace. Her eyes returned swiftly to Alex, a look of accusation in them. “Alex, why aren’t you at work? You were supposed to be finishing late tonight.”
“Alex had to finish work early today, Mrs. Daniels,” Leo explained smoothly. “He didn’t get much sleep last night, and that was due mainly to your youngest son.” Alex shivered as Leo’s gaze narrowed in on Rob, who suddenly looked most uncomfortable. Good.
“Rob?” His mother frowned. “What does Rob have to do with Alex not sleeping?”
Leo gave her a disarming smile. “Perhaps I should explain,” he said, gesturing toward the sofa. “May I sit?”
Alex noted his mother appeared uncharacteristically flustered. He could understand that. Leo had flustered him the night they’d met.
“Of course! Forgive my manners, Mr. Hart. Please, sit down.”
Leo sat, glancing at Alex, his expression making it clear he expected Alex to sit next to him. Rob remained on his feet, looking decidedly unsure of himself. Alex sat down next to Leo, perched on the edge of the seat. No way could he sit back and relax.
Leo, on the other hand, relaxed back against the cushion. “Perhaps my choice of words wasn’t entirely accurate,” he began, his eyes flicking briefly to Alex. “I’m not just Alex’s friend. I’m his boyfriend.” He smiled.
There was a stunned silence. His mother’s mouth opened and closed. His father merely raised an eyebrow and gazed unblinkingly at Alex, who wanted to curl up and die under his intense scrutiny. Oh, this was a really bad idea….
Finally, his mother spoke, seemingly having trouble finding the words. “Alex is… Alex, you’re… you’re gay?”
Alex wished the ground would open up and swallow him whole. He couldn’t say a word. Instead, he glanced up at his mother, taking in her astonished gaze, and gave a nod.
His father finally broke his baleful intent look and chuckled. “Doesn’t get it from my side of the family,” he said, smirking at his wife, who stared back at him incredulously.
Alex couldn’t believe it. That was it? That was all the reaction he was going to get from his father?
Leo gave his father a tight smile. Obviously he’d expected more of a reaction too. “Alex would have preferred to tell you in his own time, in his own way,” he said, his voice level. “Unfortunately, that decision was taken out of his hands when Rob decided to blackmail him.”
Now that got a reaction.
“Now, look here, you can’t just come in here and start accusing my son of blackmail!” declared his mother hotly, her eyes blazing. Rob paled, however.
“But what else would you call it when Rob sees me kissing Alex good night, and then demands that Alex provide him with a new laptop to buy his silence?” Leo stared at her, his gaze unwavering. His mother swallowed nervously, her eyes flicking toward Rob. The mention of a laptop obviously struck a chord, since Rob had already asked their parents for one.
His father cast a glance in Rob’s direction. Rob’s cheeks were scarlet, and his eyes, burning with hatred, were fixed on Leo. His father chortled. “Always said he was enterprising,” his father said to his wife, indicating Rob with a flick of his head. He winked at Rob.
Alex had had enough. Indignation rose within him, and suddenly he found his voice—and his courage. “Enterprising?” His voice rang out, no trace of nerves now. “My brother resorts to blackmail and you call it enterprising?”
His mother had recovered from her shock. She glared at Alex reproachfully. Unsurprisingly, the first words out of her mouth had nothing to do with Rob’s misdemeanor. “I don’t know what to say, Alex,” she said finally. “I can’t say I’m happy about this. I mean, I know you’ve never had a girlfriend, but this was the last thing I expected to hear.” Alex winced at the disappointed tone in her voice. Now, there was a fucking surprise. She shifted her gaze to Leo and stared at him accusingly. “Did you have something to do with this? How old are you anyway? Thirty-nine? Forty? Don’t you think you’re a little too old to be dating my son?” Her eyes narrowed. “Are you some kind of pedophile?”
“Mum!” Alex leaped to his feet, hands clenched by his sides. His nostrils flared. “I’m twenty-two. And I’ve known I was gay for a while now.” He glanced at Leo, who was looking at him with a look of such fierce pride, it warmed him inside. It also spurred him on to stand up for himself, and for Leo. “Me being gay has nothing to do with Leo. Don’t you dare accuse him of such a thing.” He glared at his mother, his head held high.
Leo stood up and took his hand. Alex didn’t even give it a second’s thought. Suddenly, it felt as natural as breathing to feel Leo’s hand around his. “Mrs. Daniels, Mr. Daniels, I am very proud to be dating your son.” Alex’s heart swelled. “He is a wonderful young man. You should be proud of having raised such a fine son.” He squeezed Alex’s hand tightly before giving his parents his full attention. “I’m glad we’ve finally met. I’m sure there are lots of things you would like to know, and I’ll come round another time to have a more lengthy chat with you. But right now I need to take Alex to dinner. He’s had quite a day. And please don’t wait up for him. Alex will be spending the night at my apartment.” He smiled at Alex, who stared back in surprise. “Do you need to collect some things from your room?”
For a second, Alex didn’t know how to respond. Leo’s announcement had completely taken the wind out of his sails. Leo squeezed his hand encouragingly. “Yeah,” Alex said, giving Leo a shy smile. “I’ll just be a minute.” Leo released his hand, and Alex moved toward the door, pausing briefly to take in the scene. His parents were gazing at Leo with frank astonishment, and Rob was standing in the middle of the room, quietly seething. Alex shook his head, left the lounge, and dashed up the stairs to his room.
He flew around the room in a fever, hurriedly pushing toiletry items and clothing into his duffel bag. His heart was hammering. He was going to spend the night with Leo. The full force of that thought suddenly hit him, and he stopped dead in the middle of his bedroom floor. Oh God…. Would Leo want to fuck him? Alex began to shake. He wasn’t ready. So not ready. He fervently hoped Leo would understand. Leo sucking him off was one thing. Anything else…. He took a moment to calm himself, unwilling to face his parents in such a state of nerves. Alex caught sight of himself in the mirror on his wardrobe door. Christ, he was still in his work clothes. Hurriedly, he stripped off, reached for his jeans and a black T-shirt, and stuffed a clean shirt into the duffel bag as an afterthought.
His bag finally packed, Alex ran downstairs and into the lounge. The atmosphere in the room was a little less tense. Rob was glaring at Leo with ill-concealed resentment, whereas his father was discussing the upcoming general election with Leo, the two men deep in conversation. His mother sat watching the pair of them, her face still bearing a look of shock.
“Ready,” Alex announced breathlessly, giving Leo another shy smile.
Leo stood up. “Then let’s go.” He held out his hand, and Alex took it, acutely aware of his mother’s slight gasp. He saw nothing but Leo, however.
“Good night, Mr. and Mrs. Daniels.” Leo gave his parents a brief nod before glancing at Rob, saying nothing but gazing at him intently for a moment. Rob’s face paled.
It suddenly occurred to Alex that, for all his bluster and hateful stares, Rob was afraid of Leo. Alex regarded his boyfriend with interest. Leo was standing very still, all his attention focused on Rob. There was a moment or two of silence.
Leo gave his parents a final smile and then led Alex from the room and the house, pausing to pull the front door closed behind them. “We’re going to have dinner at the apartment,” Leo said. He grinned at Alex. “Let’s get you home.”
“Home” sounded rather good right now. Certainly more of a home than the one he’d just left.
LEO could hardly keep still. His heart had almost burst with pride when Alex stood up to his mother. He’d hoped Alex would say something, and it had justified his faith in the boy when he’d reacted so fervently. Unfortunately, Alex taking on his mother had had an unexpected side effect. Right now his cock was so hard, it could cut glass. He just wanted to get the boy home and kiss his gorgeous mouth until Alex’s lips were swollen. Before kissing him elsewhere….
Alex sat silently beside him in the car, his eyes on the road. Leo could only guess at what was going on in his mind. Alex had taken a huge step, and Leo was only sorry Rob had forced the issue. Well, maybe he’d forced it too, but his boy had done him proud. His boy….
“You all right, Alex?” he asked, not looking in his direction.
Alex half turned his head toward Leo. Leo heard the soft escape of breath as he sighed heavily. “Yeah,” he said, his voice hushed. “Just can’t quite take it in. Their reactions.” He paused. “Fuck knows what it’ll be like when I go home tomorrow.” He gave a bitter laugh. “Talk about having to face the music.”
Leo snorted. Actually, it had gone better than he’d anticipated. Alex’s father seemed very laid-back. But his mother…. A thought occurred to Leo. “Do you regret telling them?”
There was a moment’s silence. Leo waited anxiously. Had he pushed Alex too fast?
“No,” Alex said at last. Leo heaved an internal sigh of relief. “You were right, of course. I couldn’t let Rob get away with it, could I? He’d have made my life intolerable.” A cool hand crept onto his thigh, and Leo fought hard to contain his delight. Alex had reached for him. He made an effort to concentrate on the road ahead, but that slight hand was definitely a distraction.
“Are you hungry?” he asked.
Alex shook his head. “Not really. Suppose I will be in a while.”
“Good,” declared Leo emphatically. “Because I have plans for you once we get into the apartment.” He felt the shudder that ran through Alex. Good….
“What… what kind of plans?” Alex sounded nervous, and yet there was an edge to his voice that spoke to Leo. Alex was hungry for something other than food.
“How does making out on the sofa sound?” All the way to the apartment, Leo imagined stretching out on the sofa with Alex in his lap, the two of them kissing for hours. He wanted Alex nude, wanted to feel his soft, warm skin under his fingertips, as he drove the boy out of his mind.
“That sounds… that sounds very good.” There it was again. A tremor rippled through Alex, a tremor that spoke to Leo in no uncertain terms. Oh, he was going to make Alex come again and again before they finally succumbed to sleep. And didn’t that thought cause Leo a shiver or two? Tonight he would share his bed for the first time in a long, long while. The thought of curling up around Alex, holding him in his arms, listening to his breathing change as he fell asleep….
Leo suddenly wanted to be home right now.