Daniel Cabot Puts Down Roots by Cat Sebastian

Author:Cat Sebastian [Cat Sebastian]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Cat Sebastian
Published: 2022-11-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

“Shit,” Daniel said when they were getting dressed the next morning. It was their third attempt to put on clothes, the first two having gotten derailed with more sex, not that Daniel was complaining. “I hurt you.” He pointed at Alex’s hips, where purplish bruises stood out against his fair skin.

“There’s some on my shoulders too,” Alex said, turning around so Daniel could see. “I bruise easily.”

“I’m really sorry. I didn’t realize I was being that rough.”

“You really weren’t. And I don’t mind.” Alex’s cheeks went a pretty shade of pink, and only then did Daniel understand—Alex really didn’t mind. Well, then. Daniel didn’t mind a bit of roughness either, didn’t mind getting marked up, didn’t mind much of anything, at least not anything he had run across yet. He had thought Alex would be fussier, though—which would have been fine, of course, but the knowledge that he wasn’t sent a bolt of want through him.

He must have been looking dopey, because Alex came over and kissed him.

“You were right,” Alex said.

“About what?”

“You said it’s nicer with friends. No wonder you sleep with all your friends if it’s always like this.”

Daniel felt his stomach drop. He had said that. He had pitched this whole idea to Alex as a normal thing for friends to do. He shouldn’t be surprised that Alex thought this was just business as usual for him.

“You know you’re not just any old friend, right?” Daniel asked. “You’re not the mulch guy I trade handjobs with.” Why was he talking about the mulch guy? Why, Daniel? “I mean, you know I…” He trailed off, not knowing how to finish that sentence. “You know I like you best?” he finally said, inanely, and as the words left his mouth he knew that the most honest thing he could have said was I love you.

It should have come as a surprise, but somehow it didn’t.

“I know you like me best, Daniel,” Alex said, but it sounded like he was humoring him.

It was too early, and Daniel wasn’t awake enough to have a serious conversation, not that he had any idea what he could possibly say anyway. So he walked with Alex to the clinic even though it was out of his way and then went home.

His building was quiet. Blanca and Miriam would be at work. In the garden were a handful of kids too little for school. Their parents were gathered on a bench Daniel had found in a salvage yard a few weeks earlier. He made a mental note to find another one and maybe a small table. But there wasn’t anyone around he could talk to. Lauren and Jacob would be at work too, and this didn’t really feel like something he could talk to them about anyway, since the last time he had tried to talk to them about Alex it hadn’t gone well.

The person he really ought to talk to was Mary, because she knew Alex better than anyone and would probably have

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