Page 130 of Alpha Mates

Aiden’s frown returns, but this time, it’s more of a pout. “I’m trying to explain it nicely.”

“You’re treating me like a child,” I correct, folding my arms over my chest. “I don’t know what bottoming is, and that’s fine. What’snotfine is you beating around the bush as if I’m incapable of understanding the concept. So, stop wasting both our time and tell me plainly what it is.”

“Okay, fine,” he says, as he too folds his arms over his chest. “The bottom takes it up the ass, Julian.”

It’s terrifying how quickly my confidence withers away. It shrivels like an unwatered plant and reaches the point of no return as his words echo in my head.

Logically, I knew that when two men had sex, the roles had to be decided, and if we were going to do the same, it’d be no different for us. But for some reason, I’d never considered that fact where Aiden and I were concerned until now. I’d been excited about the prospect without even entertaining the logistics.

“Okay, maybe that wasn’t the best way to say that,” he says behind a grimace. I hardlyhear him.

Roles. In bed. One on the bottom and the other on the top. And Aiden expected me to be the one on the bottom.

Letting Aiden on top of me when we were intimate was one thing, letting him control my body, another, but letting him inside of me? That was … it was …

“You okay, Jewels?” he asks carefully.

“Is that why you always squeeze my ass?”

“No!” he declares fiercely, but he’s blushing, and it’s not all that convincing. “I don’t think so?”

“You don’t think so?” I echo, and as his cheeks pinken, I feel mine doing the same. “Oh Goddess,” I groan as I scramble back, and it’s like the movement triggers the rest of it. His words finally register, and I’m soon marching back to put extra space between my body and Aiden’s lewd mind. “I don’t want to!”

“Julian,” he chides, like I’m being silly.

“No!” I shout, taking two steps back for the one he takes towards me. “You want to put your dick in my ass!My ass, Aiden!”

“I don’t want to!” he protests, but when my brows furrow, he groans. “I mean, I want to,obviously! I want to have sex with you.”

“You want to put your dick in my ass,” I accuse and he throws his hands up in exasperation.

“It has to go somewhere, Julian!”

“Okay, so why can’t you bottom?!” I exclaim as I try to cover myself, but I only have two hands. “Why can’t mine go somewhere?!”

Aiden’s exasperation takes a back seat as he snorts a laugh. He laughs and laughs and only stops when he realises that I’m not laughing with him. Then he sobers all at once.

“Julian, please,” he deadpans. “You can’t be serious.”

“I am very serious,” I say, as I look him over. “Why can’t you do it?”

“Because,” he says as if that’s explanation enough.

“Because what?”

“Because!” he groans again, “Julian, you just—”

“I just what?” I snap. When he doesn’t answer, irritation morphs into anger, and then hurt. “I’m supposed to do it because I always submit to you?”

Aiden’s expression drops, turning fearful as he raises a hand. “No, Julian,” he says gently. “Of course that’s not it.”

He inches forward, but stops when I stiffen. His face crumples, turning mournful, as he looks at me like he did that night in the drive-in, only now I hate it because it feels pitying.

“We spoke about that, Julian,” he continues with his hand still lifted like I’m a wild horse he’s afraid of spooking. “You know that doesn’t matter.”

“But it does, otherwise why would you think that I am the one meant to bottom?” I argue, resisting the urge to yell. I want to. I want to yell and run, but what good would that do? “I submit all the time, so I’m supposed to let you have me like that.”

“You say it like it’s a bad thing,” Aiden whispers, and the hurt in his voice makes my chest tighten. It bleeds into the bond and suddenly, it’s so much harder to swallow.