Heartbeat Repeating - E.M. Lindsey Page 0,79

all a lie? Was this some joke to debase him, strip him down to nothing and leave him a shaking, tattered mess at his parents’ home?

“I’m not doing this very well,” Alejandro says after a beat, and then he laughs, and Avery is seconds away from standing up and punching him in the face. “My brother warned me that I would always be bad at this.”

Avery turns stunned eyes on him. “Bad at what? Stringing me along for a year, fucking me, making me think you…” His voice cracks, and he shakes his head. “Making me think you give a shit, then taking it all away and leaving me with nothing?” He stands up, then grabs the pen. “You know what…” He’s shaking all over with grief and rage, and his signature is a mess, but he gets it done and turns to find Alejandro standing there looking helpless.

His fingers curl in the paper, then he shoves it at him. It makes a loud, resounding smack as it hits Alejandro in the chest, and the moment his hands come up, Avery lets go. It’s easy to turn after that, to take steps toward the door. He fumbles for the handle, then his entire body freezes as warm fingers curl around his wrist and hold him.

“Avery…”

“Stop,” he breathes out, a sob lodged in his throat. “Please stop talking, stop saying my name, just…just…”

He does stop—at least, his words go quiet. And then one arm comes around his waist and Alejandro’s lips are moving right behind his ear. “Avery.”

It’s just his name. Five letters, three syllables, and they make his knees collapse. He only doesn’t hit the ground because Alejandro is holding him, pressing him against the door.

“Avery,” he says again, and his eyes slam shut because he can’t take it. “Tell me what you heard before you left.”

He licks his lips, and he knows he has no choice but to force the words out, and there’s something warm building in his chest that feels too much like hope, and he can’t…he can’t take it. “You love him.”

“Connor,” Alejandro says, and Avery nods.

“I heard you say…”

“That I have always loved him,” Alejandro repeats, and yes, the words hurt just as much the second time. “That I always would. That I couldn’t wait to tell him when I saw him,” he says—the last thing that Avery heard before he fled.

“I didn’t want to stay there so you could say it to my face. I’m in love with you,” he breathes out like a self-destructive fool, but why try and keep himself together now. It’s all out there.

Alejandro’s other arm comes around him, closer to his chest. His chin digs into his shoulder, and then he swears he feels lips brushing the side of his neck. “I will always love Connor. He’s a good man. He and I raised our daughter together, and although he never inspired anything more than lukewarm affection in me, I still loved him. But it will never be as much as I love you.”

Avery’s body stills. “You…”

Alejandro kisses his neck again, this time with more purpose. “I love you, Avery.” His arms go lax, and Avery nearly falls, but Alejandro’s only turning him, pressing his back to the door, bracing him by the hips. They’re so close, and Avery can see all of him. His hands are clenched into fists to keep from reaching for him because he can’t believe him. Not yet. Alejandro doesn’t seem to mind though. He lifts one hand and presses his warm palm to Avery’s cheek. “I’m in love with you.”

Avery’s eyes are so hot, his throat thick. He glances over to see the papers on the bed, and he forces his lips and tongue to work. “The contract…”

Alejandro’s thumb draws a line along his cheek, and he leans forward, and breathes in. “I missed you.”

“Stop,” Avery begs, and Alejandro leans back but doesn’t let go. “Stop. Just…fucking explain, please.”

The older man closes his eyes and lets out a breath, but he nods, and he doesn’t look irritated or impatient. When his gaze catches Avery’s, he finds heat there—and feeling and emotion and everything he’s been holding back for so long. He runs a thumb over Avery’s bottom lip like he can’t help himself, and then he smiles, which makes Avery’s heart skip a beat.

“I woke up the morning after you slept with me in my bed, and I knew I wanted to wake up that way for the rest of my life. I