Project Alaric: Book One ✔️

Chapter Twenty-Four

Alaric Benson

Axton sipped his coffee obnoxiously. It was empty. He was being an asshole. "When is he getting back here? Though, the line for that damn place can be long as hell sometimes. Val asked me to go pick up her packages once, and I was there for like an hour. College students. I swear."

I shrugged. "He'll be back when he gets back. And I need to make it clear–you two can intrude sometimes, but I beg you to please let me have time with him alone. We've been dating for two weeks, and for one of those weeks, he was gone."

Apollo snorted as he set his empty cup on the table. "Yes, we get it. We won't intrude on your sexy times. Listen, I know how important it is to connect intimately. Maybe we can make a signal. Just text us an eggplant to the group chat. Then we will know not to bother you. Lucky for you, the parentals are in London. And as a show of good faith, I'll drag Ace to the botanical garden. He loves to run around in there."

"Okay, asshole. You can stop talking about me like I'm a child." He eyed Apollo. "Can we really go? I like the little chessboard they have there. I want to play against the children who swear they know how to play chess. The pieces are the same size as them. It makes it all the more fun!"

"Yes, we can go so you can torture the children with your knowledge about chess, Ace." Apollo patted his shoulder. "For real, though. Are you two planning on...doing the tango? I don't ask to mock you–I'm asking honestly."

I shrugged. "I don't know. We talked about it when he was visiting his grandparents. We talked through all the mechanics and other things you two don't need to know about. It's possible. But I won't pressure him."

Apollo nodded. "I only ask because I can grab you the things you need. Safe sex and all of that. If anyone here knows about safe sex between two boys, it's me. I have what you need. Unused, of course."

Chuckling, I leaned back against the chair. "I'd sure hope so." Then I relented. "Yeah, I'd appreciate it."

It wasn't weird for us to speak about things like this with each other. Especially since my knowledge of sex with a man was minimal, I appreciate that Apollo was open enough to help me out. The mechanics came from learning with Emery when we reached that point, but after our rather...engaging phone conversations over the past week–I had a feeling Emery was eager to get to the more intimate parts of our relationship.

And Hell, I was, too.

Nervous? Hell yeah, and I even told Emery as much. But with how far we'd taken our few makeout sessions, my body was more than on board with whatever came next in that department. Sex wasn't a dirty word. And sex with Emery would be dirty, but not in a bad way. Not a bad way at all. I wanted those things with Emery. No matter how they happened.

I adjusted myself as I tried to get my mind on something that wasn't Emery under me. Nope. Not in public. So, I changed the subject. "Has Marcus been leaving you alone, Po?"

Axton growled under his breath as Apollo nodded. "For the most part. I think he got the message after last time. Sometimes he makes me want to study psychology. How could one human being really think I'd go back after I found out he cheated on me so many times? I was lucky not to catch something."

"I'd have killed him if you had," Axton mumbled, picking at his straw wrapper. "I knew there was something about that guy. He never called you until after the sun went down. Made you meet him. The only reason we met him was because we accidentally ran into him in town. He had the vibe. I tried being respectful for you, Po. But something was always off about that asshole."