Chapter 74

Alex realized he had kept the man waiting too long. He tightened the belt of his robe and tentatively opened the door, assuming Nathan would at least be wearing a shirt.

He was wrong. Nathan stood in the gap of the doorway wearing an identical robe, but it was hanging open. At the sight of the broad, muscular chest and the sharply defined lines of his abdominals, Alex’s eyes flew wide and he slammed the door shut again. A violent surge of heat rushed through his entire body.

“Alex Yeon, open the door.” Nathan’s voice was accompanied by the sound of the handle rattling.

Alex braced his body against the door and pleaded in a trembling voice, “Wait, just… just a second!”

He needed time to process the image. Seeing Nathan’s bare skin was far more intoxicating than he had ever imagined. And it wasn’t what he expected; Nathan was in incredible shape. His core was more defined than Alex’s, and his chest was like carved marble. Alex had always pictured Nathan as soft and lithe, not… like this.

When did he get like this? Do you just become a statue once you hit a certain height?

“I still need a minute,” Alex called out, trying to organize his chaotic thoughts. Nathan was still the beautiful, lovely person he remembered, but Alex needed a new plan for the “foreplay” he’d researched, all of which had vanished from his mind the moment he saw those muscles.

“Come out before I force it open. Tell me what the hell is wrong.” Nathan clearly had no intention of giving him a moment of peace.

Pushing back against the door as it rattled dangerously, Alex shouted, “What if… what if I hurt you?”

The handle stopped moving. “…What?”

“Just give me a second. It’s not that I can’t do it, it’s just…” Alex bit his tongue before he could admit that he had never done this before. He was burning up, the sound of his racing heart echoing in the small space.

“Why would I be the one getting hurt?”

Huh? The unexpected question made Alex blink, and his grip on the door slackened for a fraction of a second. Nathan seized the opening and shoved the door wide, forcing Alex back into the bathroom.

“Unless you’re the one who ends up crying,” Nathan added, stepping inside and seizing Alex by the waist.

His arm slipped beneath Alex’s robe, his skin slick and cool as he pulled Alex against him. Nathan smelled like damp skin and expensive body wash. Alex let out a jagged, broken breath as their bodies collided. It was a devastatingly erotic sensation, feeling their bare chests press together. Even through the fabric of their robes, Alex could feel his own arousal turning into a hard, painful ache. His pulse thundered against his skin.

Stunned by the intensity of it, Alex reached up and pressed his hands against Nathan’s chest, only to flinch at the solid, unyielding feel of the man’s muscles.

“Nathan, we’re… we’re too close,” Alex hiccuped, his voice a mess of nerves.

Nathan ignored the protest, pulling Alex out into the hallway and pinning him against the wall. Trapped between the cold plaster and Nathan’s burning frame, Alex’s eyes darted around, unable to find a place to rest. Nathan caught his jaw, forcing Alex to look at him.

“We’re going to be doing much more than this, so look at me,” Nathan whispered.

If simply touching like this felt like dying, Alex knew he would never survive the actual act. Overwhelmed by the stimulation, he pleaded desperately, “I’m sorry, Nathan. I can’t do this. Let’s… let’s do this another time.”

“Stop talking nonsense.”

“I’ll just… I’ll just take the suppressants, Nathan… ah, hng!”

Nathan sank his teeth into the side of Alex’s neck, making him flinch and let out a strangled cry. Alex’s eyes flew wide as Nathan dragged his tongue across the sensitive cord of his neck. Nathan pulled back just enough to meet Alex’s eyes, his wet golden hair falling over his brow. He let out a shaky breath and leaned back in; this time, his lips were inches from Alex’s.

Just like the night of their first kiss, the world seemed to go silent.

Alex’s frantic breathing began to steady. He parted his lips slightly, his body trembling with a fine, uncontrollable tremor. Nathan’s lips brushed against his face, a soft, yielding touch that felt impossibly tender.

The kiss moved from his mouth to trace the line of his jaw before traveling slowly toward his ear. Nathan stopped at the sensitive skin just below the lobe and exhaled a hot, damp breath that sent a violent jolt of electricity down Alex’s spine.

“Some Alphas…” Nathan murmured against his ear, his lips grazing the skin with every syllable. Alex’s hands fumbled against Nathan’s chest before clutching at his shoulders; if he didn’t hold on, he knew his legs would give way. “They have erogenous zones near their pheromone organs.”

Nathan punctuated the sentence by flicking his tongue against the skin.

“Ah… h-ha… ah, ngh…”

Alex didn’t even realize he was moaning. He curled his toes and pressed his back hard against the wall, trying to push Nathan away even as he melted into the sensation.

“That’s you,” Nathan whispered, his voice so low it was almost inaudible, yet it rang with terrifying clarity in Alex’s ears. The wet, rhythmic lapping against his ear overwhelmed his remaining defenses. A sharp ache bloomed in his gut as his arousal reached a fever pitch in an instant.

“This is… it’s too much… Nathan, wait, hic!”

His knees buckled. Nathan’s grip on his waist was the only thing keeping him upright, but Alex could feel his body spiraling out of control. His muscles coiled and released, his breath coming in ragged gasps. Nathan’s own breathing grew heavy in response, and he let out a low, guttural sound before his grip on Alex’s waist turned into a slow, firm caress.

Nathan pressed his entire body against Alex’s, his solid frame crushing him against the wall. As Alex’s mind fragmented under the pressure, Nathan’s hand migrated from his waist to his backside. He squeezed the firm flesh with a strength that was deliberate but not painful.

Nathan didn’t stop the assault on Alex’s ear. While Alex was lost in the hazy, tingling sensation that colored his entire world, Nathan’s fingers moved deeper, reaching toward his most private area. The touch snapped Alex back to reality with the force of a thunderclap, and his eyes flew wide.

“N-Nathan!”

Nathan looked up, his nose having been buried in the crook of Alex’s neck. His eyes were burning with an intense, predatory light.

“I think… I think your hand is in the wrong place,” Alex stammered. His face was so hot it felt like it was blistering. Now that he was fully conscious, the reality of what was happening felt like it was going to shatter his mind.

“My hand?” Nathan asked. He punctuated the question by pressing his fingers even closer. Alex’s entire upper body shuddered.

“That… there.”

“What about it?”

“Why are you touching me there?” Alex’s voice was a high, thin tremor that bordered on a sob. None of this made any sense. Nathan was here, he was too close, things were moving at a terrifying speed, Nathan was too beautiful. Most importantly, it was logically impossible for them to be doing this. And Nathan’s fingers were… there.

“I have to prepare you,” Nathan said, as if explaining something obvious. His fingers showed no mercy, parting Alex’s backside and touching the entrance.

The realization hit Alex like a physical blow.

He let out a silent scream, his mouth hanging open, and he shoved Nathan away with every ounce of Alpha strength he possessed. He scrambled to the end of the hallway, frantically pulling his robe shut with a pale, panicked face.

“Me…?”

The idea that he would be the one receiving was as incomprehensible to Alex as the idea of Nathan not being beautiful. Yet, that was clearly what had been about to happen.

“Alex.” Nathan spoke his name softly, closing his eyes and straightening his long frame. He ran a hand through his damp golden hair, looking as if he were trying to suppress a surge of immense frustration. “Come here.”

Alex hesitated, the ghost of the touch still vivid on his skin. When he didn’t move, Nathan reached out his hand.

“Come on.”

The sight of that outstretched hand, exactly like the hand Nathan had offered him when they were kids practicing their lines, made Alex freeze. A wave of mournful longing crashed over him, and his heart melted. Nathan was offering him his hand, even though he hated him.

Alex moved forward, his logic screaming at him while his heart drove his feet. He reached out quickly, terrified that Nathan might pull away, but Nathan waited for him. Only when their fingers were interlocked did Alex feel a sense of peace. He refused to let go.

Nathan looked down at their joined hands and led Alex into the bedroom, where he sat him down on the edge of the bed. Nathan sat beside him, their knees brushing as they faced each other.

“Tell me why you were so shocked,” Nathan said, his voice sounding like a clinical professional.

“I… I just naturally assumed that I would be… the one… putting it in,” Alex confessed, gathering his remaining courage.

Nathan stared at him dryly before letting out that same bitter smirk from the hallway. “Based on what?”

“I’m an Alpha,” Alex replied, his voice gaining a touch of indignant pride. Nathan was a Beta, so perhaps he didn’t understand the biological hierarchy, but Alex was a predator. Furthermore, he had always been taller than Nathan when they were younger, and even now, he was a tall man who stood well above the UK average.

And then there was his stamina. Physical endurance was a requirement for sex, and Alex held the record for the fastest running times at the precinct.

“And?” Nathan asked, clearly unimpressed.

Alex scrambled for another reason. “And… you’re much prettier than me.”

“Being ‘pretty’ has nothing to do with who receives during anal intercourse,” Nathan stated flatly.

The clinical, blunt description of the act felt like a punch to the gut. Alex’s face went pale. “Aren’t Alphas… unable to do it from the back?”

“They can.”

Alex shook his head. He knew a doctor wouldn’t lie about biology, but he desperately didn’t want to believe it. “I don’t think it’ll work…”

“How would you know? You’ve never tried.”

“Can’t I be the one?”

“Are you even capable of it?”

Alex fell silent again, his fingers twitching in Nathan’s grip as he lowered his head. After a moment, he gave a tiny, stubborn nod.

“Fine, then show me,” Nathan said tonelessly.

Stunned by the sudden permission, Alex snapped his head up.

“Show me exactly how you planned to do it.”