up easily. It was no surprise when he followed him and leaned against the counter while Alun ran hot water and scraped bits of food down the garbage disposal. Such a handy device.
“I’m sorry. You’re right. We’ve only been out on one date and here I am practically proposing.”
Alun scowled. “Last night wasn’t a date.”
“Sure it was. Church and ice scream. Unconventional as dates go, I’ll grant you that. But it ended with a kiss, so that makes it one in my book.”
Alun opened the dishwasher, another miraculous invention, and started shoving plates in. “And how big is that, then?”
“What?”
He glanced at Craig. “Your book. I imagine you have many admirers and have been on lots of dates. I never had time for such things, not even before… It doesn’t matter.”
“It matters to me.” Craig reached out to halt Alun’s progress with the dishes. “I hate the fact that you’ve had so little fun in your life, that you didn’t even think you could help yourself to the ice cream over there in the freezer.”
Alun frowned. “The warriors and the boys like their treats. I don’t need such things.”
“Maybe not, but you deserve them, all the same. In fact, everyone deserves ice cream now and again, except for that Dracul fucker. That goes without saying. May he dine forever on fire and brimstone when this is all over. Aa-a-and we’ve gotten way off track. You were asking if I go out a lot and the answer is no. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve had my share of fucking randoms. That doesn’t count, and it’s gotten old.”
Craig leaned into Alun’s face, enough to make serious eye contact but not so much that Alun felt trapped. “Look… The timing on this sucks, although if not for the horror of what happened a few days ago, I wouldn’t have the chance to get to know you. On a purely selfish level, I’m grateful for the opportunity. And I understand that you need me to take things slowly. You’ll find I’m a surprisingly patient man. I can wait. You’re worth it.”
“I don’t understand on what basis you’ve formed that opinion.” He frowned as a thought occurred to him. “Did the warriors last night force you into this?”
Craig sighed and leaned away. “Man, first of all, there isn’t much of a ‘this’ at the moment. I wasn’t going to say anything until the rescue mission was all over. My immediate plans were to make sure we both came out of this movie-worthy exploit alive. You’re the one fretting over the future. I can’t stand seeing you worry, so I opened my big mouth and…freaked you out, I guess. All this clumsiness is pure Jefferson with nothing added by anyone else, believe me. I don’t scare easily. All those dudes did last night was make sure I wasn’t preying on you. They care.”
Alun grabbed a handful of cutlery to load into the dishwasher. “I’m in the hive, so of course they do. That’s their job.”
Craig shook his head. “You are a tough nut to crack. That’s okay. I said I was patient and I am. For the record, however, the reason they warned me not to mess with you was totally out of genuine concern…about you. For you, Alun, um… What’s your surname?”
It took a moment to remember. It had been that long since he’d even thought of it. “Evans.”
Craig smiled. “Alun Evans. You matter, remember?”
“I’m trying to.”
“Try harder…for me.” With that, the man had the audacity to kiss him in front of God and everyone, right there in the kitchen.
And it wasn’t quick like before. Craig’s lips lingered against Alun’s, slanting along the seam. It wasn’t hard or aggressive, but it was passionate. Alun felt glued to the spot, unable or unwilling to break the contact. When he sighed at the tingling feeling creeping through his body, Craig darted his tongue inside to explore Alun’s mouth. He’d thought it might be disgusting to be breached in such a manner, but it was nothing of the sort. It was sweet and, at the same time, exhilarating. Down low, he felt the stirrings of passion, something he’d thought himself well past. He was nearly hard when Craig pulled back, nipping at his lower lip right before he broke contact.
Alun opened his eyes and blinked at Craig. “Was that supposed to make me remember something to do? Because I think it caused me to forget my name.”
Craig gave him a lazy smile, a confident one. “My work is