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“Thanks. The rooms are small, but these old homes have so much heart. I’d rather have a cozy home like this in the city, than a spacious new build out in Barrhaven or Kanata.”
I looked at him strangely. “So, why did we go to the Chateau the other night? This place is closer to Molly’s.”
He shrugged. “I wasn’t sure you’d be comfortable since we’d only just met. And the Chateau is”—he blushed—“impressive. And, maybe, I wanted to impress you?”
“Oh,” I said, charmed once again. “Well, you definitely did—and not just with the accommodations.”
“The feeling is mutual.”
I grinned and sipped my tea. “Huh. Did I impress you with my astonishing flexibility?”
He laughed. “With everything. And the Molly’s outfit was a very nice touch.”
“I figured you’d like that. I’m not really supposed to take it with me, but…it was worth the risk.”
“It certainly was.” Alastair met my gaze with a frankness that made me pay attention. “We need to talk about what’s going on,” he said, “between us.”
Oh, okay.
“Right. Which is…what exactly?”
He laughed and shook his head. “I don’t know. This is uncharted territory for me.”
“In what way? You said you have hookups all the time.”
He frowned. “I didn’t sayallthe time.”
“Uh, you kind of did—or at least, that’s how it sounded.”
He cleared his throat. “I’ve never been so distracted by someone that I couldn’t engage physically with someone else. That’s a first for me.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Congratulations?”
He laughed. “God, I sound like an asshole.”
“Kind of. But do go on.”
“Look, Toby. I’ve been having casual sex since I was your age.” He held up a hand. “Safesex. I get tested every six months, and I use condoms religiously when there’s penetration.”
“That’s good,” I said. It felt weird, having this conversation. “You know, I didn’t plan to let you seduce me.”
Alastair’s eyes narrowed. “Is that what I did?”
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t act all innocent. The thing with the shoelace? You’re telling me that wasn’t a calculated seduction?”
Alastair blinked. “It wasn’t…exactlycalculated. I suppose I wanted to touch you, but I knew I wasn’t allowed. And those shoes are so…delicate. And the way you were lying there, in your molly-boy clothes.” He stood, as if he was seeing me like that again. “Fuck, Toby. How could I resist?” He made a strangled sound and put a hand to his lips. “I couldn’t.”
“Wow,” I murmured. “I had no idea…”
He gave me a look.
“Okay, fine. Maybe I was trying to seduce you, too. I don’t know what came over me. Honestly. It wasn’t planned.”
Alastair sat down again and sipped his tea.
“I know that the understanding was that it would be a one-time thing.”
“Yeah,” I admitted. “Absolutely. You didn’t make any promises, and neither did I.”
