Self Preservation (15 page)

“I think he's right,” Davis said, placing a hand on her arm. “You're pregnant.”

“Barely,” she said, yanking away as she stomped her foot and crossed her arms. “I don't want to miss anything. I wanna break and enter!”

Alex laughed, placing a hand on Deseree's cheek. “You are definitely becoming one of my favorite people ever.”

Davis smiled and turned her toward the cab. “Do you really want tomorrow's headline to be FASHION DESIGNER MOONLIGHTS AS CAT BURGLAR?”

“This blows,” Deseree said as Davis opened the cab door for her. “I hate being famous, and I hate babies.”

Davis gave her a kiss on the cheek and she climbed into the cab. Alex laughed, leaning down to hand some money to the driver as Davis told him the address.

“Keep your cell on,” Davis said with a wink. “You'll be my one phone call.”

She agreed defiantly and was pouting as the cab pulled off.

Davis and Alex watched as she drove off looking back through the rear window at the two of them.

“She's absolutely adorable. Maybe I should marry her?”

“What?” Davis asked.

Alex looked at Davis. “Aside from the no-penis thing, she's bloody perfect.”

“You really are twisted.”

“You're right. She deserves a penis every bit as much as the rest of us.”

Davis shook his head and turned around. “She'd marry me if she were going to marry a homo.”

Alex laughed as he walked back toward the door.

“Seriously,” Davis said, following him back to the door. “We've already tried that. Let's just go look for the fire escape.”

“Did you try the other apartments?”

“No,” Davis said, feeling stupid. “Like that'll do any good.”

“Look up and tell me if you see any lights come on,” Alex said as he pressed a button.

Once Davis cast his eyes up the building, Alex turned back to punch a code into the control panel.

“I told y—” Davis started to say as the door buzzed.

Alex yanked it open and turned back to smile.

Davis grinned as he walked through the door. “You are a genius.”

In the elevator, Alex hit the third-floor button. They rode up the two flights and got out. At Tadd's door, Davis started to knock as Alex spoke. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“I'm sorry, Alex,” Davis said, closing his eyes momentarily. “I know he's your friend, and well, to be perfectly honest, I don't exactly hate him, but I have to. If I don't…”

“Fair enough,” Alex said, backing away and extending his arm as if inviting him to go ahead.

Davis knocked on the door and put his ear up to it, trying to hear evidence of Tadd and Jack behind the door. He knocked again, louder, and tried to listen again. He knocked longer the third time, beginning to get frustrated. The apartment door across the hall opened slightly. Alex turned and smiled at the curious neighbor.

“Hello,” Alex said, as the middle-aged woman opened her door farther.

“He's not home,” the lady said as Davis stopped knocking and turned around. “He's getting married tomorrow. I believe he and his fiancé…such a nice boy…they're staying in some hotel suite tonight. I don't remember which one.”

Alex bowed politely. “Well, thank you, madam.”

“Aren't you a friend of Tadd's?” the lady asked Alex.

“Yes, sorry to disturb,” Alex answered, smiling at her. “He neglected to mention that to me.”

“Well,” she said, “have a good night.”

Davis fell back into Tadd's door and let out a sigh. Alex took a deep breath and walked over to the fire extinguisher in the hall. He reached under it and pulled out a magnetic key box.

Davis frowned at him. “You might have mentioned that was there before allowing me to wake all the neighbors.”

“I'm not in the habit of letting myself into people's flats while they might be inside doing God knows what,” Alex said, unlocking the door and throwing it open. “Might as well go in and drink his liquor.”

Davis rolled his eyes, exhaled deeply, and went into the apartment.

Alex walked over and replaced the key under the fire extinguisher, grinning. Then he entered Tadd's apartment, flipped on the light, and closed the door behind him. He went into the kitchen, watching as Davis pulled off his jacket and dropped it on the floor.

“How 'bout that drink?” Davis asked.

“Coming right up, love.”

Davis laughed and began to undo his tie. He noticed Alex watching him from the kitchen as he pulled out two wineglasses.

“Don't get any funny ideas,” Davis said, yanking his tie off.

Alex laughed as he grabbed a bottle of red and the corkscrew. “I wasn't…cheeky bastard.”

“I saw that leer-y look you get,” Davis said, eyeing Alex as he came into the living area. “You had dirty in your eyes.”

Alex grinned, setting the glasses onto the coffee table. “I'll be a complete gentleman.”

Davis undid the top few buttons on his shirt and flopped down onto the couch. “This has to be the most uncomfortable furniture ever.” Davis kicked off his shoes as he wiggled around on the hard leather sofa.

Alex peered down at the couch while pulling the cork out of the bottle. “Yes, you're quite right.” He picked up the glasses. “Follow me.”

Davis watched as he headed for the stairs. He sighed and got up to follow him. Once upstairs, Alex opened the first door and Davis followed him into a huge, very chic bedroom. Like the downstairs, it had a gallery-like feel with the large modernistic paintings along the walls.

“This is lame, even for you,” Davis said, turning to head back downstairs.

“Oh, bugger off.” Alex set the wine and glasses down on the nightstand. He picked up a remote and pressed a button as a panel on the wall opened up and the television came on. “You aren't that irresistible.”

Davis laughed sheepishly, turning back. He glanced down at the huge bed, which had to be more comfortable than the couch. He shrugged, looking at Alex, then flopped down and rolled around on the bed. “Wow! This is like…fuck me…I could die in this bed.”

“You could refrain from rolling around like that and using the phrase
fuck me
,” Alex said, handing Davis a glass. “I am only human, you little prat.”

“Sorry,” Davis said, sitting up and taking the glass. “This mattress is amazing.”

“I know,” Alex said, kicking off his shoes and pulling off his jacket. “I gave it to him.”

Davis stared at Alex wide-eyed. “You are a good friend. No wonder you get so much ass.”

Alex shot him a dirty look and smirked as he unbuttoned his shirt. “Yes, because I'm not at all attractive.”

“I didn't mean it like that,” Davis said, watching as Alex pulled off his shirt and tossed it on the chair with his jacket. His chest was flat but well defined and hard, and his stomach was ripped into the most incredible six-pack Davis had ever seen outside of a magazine. “Just maybe not the god you think you are.” Christ, please don't let him take off his pants.

Alex crawled onto the bed and pushed some pillows up against the headboard. He leaned back into them and picked his glass up off the bedside table. He took a drink and winked at Davis, patting the bed next to him. “I don't think I'm a god.”

Davis smiled as he shot Alex a look. He crawled over and sat next to him. Alex patted his chest and lifted his arm. Davis turned and leaned back, resting his head on Alex's chest. Alex wrapped his arm around his shoulder and pulled Davis into him.

“There now,” Alex said, taking another drink. “That's not so terrible, is it?”

“No,” Davis said, snuggling into him and taking a sip from his glass. He stared at the television and watched as the pictures changed. “You're not so bad.”

Alex laughed, shaking his head. “Thank you. A ringing endorsement.”

Davis laughed in spite of himself and felt his face flush a little. “You can be very sweet when you wanna be.”

“Well, I'm sure the same could be said for you.”

“Fucker,” Davis said with a smirk, pinching his side.

“Violence again,” Alex said, looking down at him. “Why does it always come back to pain with you?”

“I don't know.” Davis's smile faded a bit. “It does seem like I've had my fair share of it the past few years, though.”

Alex kissed him on the top of his head. “I'm sorry.”

Davis sat up, looking toward the door on the far wall. “Is that the bathroom?”

“Yes.”

Davis handed him his glass and crawled down the bed. He hopped off the bed and disappeared into the bathroom.

Alex smiled as he listened to Davis's pee hit the water. He stretched his arms out, lifting them above his head, somehow taking comfort in the fact Davis hadn't closed the door to the bathroom when he went in. He listened as the toilet flushed and as Davis splashed water into the sink while he washed his hands.

Davis came back into the room, looking over Alex and the bed. “I should probably call a cab.”

“Don't be daft,” Alex said, sitting up. “It's late. I'm not going back to my place at this point. Just stay here. You'll actually get more sleep if you don't waste an hour with a cab.”

Davis bit his lip and shoved his thumbs into the waist of his pants, swaying back and forth from one foot to the other.

A serious expression came over Alex's face. “Honestly, Davis, it's a lot less hassle.”

“You're right.” Davis walked to the far side of the bed. “I don't really feel like being alone, anyway.”

“Good, that's settled.” Alex watched as Davis started taking off his shirt. Alex got up off the bed and pulled down the covers, yanking them free from underneath the mattress. He picked up his wineglass, took a drink, and let his eyes run down Davis's body as he took off his pants. “You are quite beautiful,” Alex said as Davis stretched with a yawn.

Davis sat on the bed and pulled off his socks. “Thanks.” Davis blushed as he slid his legs under the blankets.

“Sorry,” Alex said, putting his wineglass down and unbuckling his belt. “That was inappropriate.”

“No,” Davis said, smiling as he rolled onto his side watching Alex unbutton and unzip his pants. “I'm sorry I'm such an asshole. It was a lovely thing to say.”

Alex removed his pants, revealing his long legs. Davis let his gaze run down his lanky frame as Alex slid into the bed. Davis felt a pang shoot through chest, thinking about how long it had been since he'd slept in a bed with another man.

Davis looked up at Alex with wide eyes. “I know it's probably not your thing…but if you
 
wouldn't
 
mind…that
 
is, if it didn't make you
 
uncomfortable…and if it did,
 
that's okay—”

“Are you going to go on like this all night?” Alex smiled as he watched Davis. “Or are you going to come out with it already?”

Davis felt his face flush. He couldn't believe he was even going to ask.
What the hell
, he thought,
humiliation seems to have become my middle name
. “Would you mind just holding me?”

Alex smiled and opened his arm out so Davis could nuzzle in against his body. Alex wrapped his arm around him and Davis laid his head on his chest, running his hand across Alex's stomach. Alex cleared his throat and cast his eyes up at the ceiling as Davis threw a leg over, letting it rest between Alex's.

“You're cool,” Alex said, taking a deep breath.

“Yeah.” Davis smiled. “My body temp's always run a bit cooler. Jack always… Sorry.”

“It's all right, Davis.” Alex closed his eyes. “We should try to get some sleep.”

“Okay,” Davis said, hugging him tighter as he tried to snuggle closer.

Alex concentrated on a tiny crack in the ceiling trying to keep control over his faculties. He crinkled up his forehead. “He's a very attractive man. I see that…but from what I know, which is admittedly not a lot, he hasn't really treated you all that well the past few years. So why put yourself through all this?”