Page 19 of Roommates' Alpha

I gave him another hug. “You know it’s the right thing to do.”

He sighed.

The fire had burned and was mostly embers.

“You ready to go inside?” I asked.

“Yeah…”

“I’ll get the bucket to put it out.”

I stood, but Crow grabbed one hand before I moved away. He stood and stepped close, his face angled up toward mine, cut jaw highlighted by the red embers.

“I…” he started. “Thank you.”

“No problem.”

He rose on his toes and pressed a kiss to my cheek, but his lips lingered. Then I felt the brush of a bulge against me.

“I… um… would you…”

I stepped back and rested my hands on his shoulders. “Crow…”

“Sorry!” he cried, distraught-looking. “I… I…”

I shook my head. “It’s not a ‘no’. You’re a handsome man, and I’d love to take you to bed. But not now.”

He stared at me with confusion painted across his face.

I sighed. “I won’t be the cause of any regrets. You’ve been incredibly vulnerable with me, and that can make you feel things that you might not normally. You just told me that you’re still figuring yourself out. You need to try to mend things with your sister. Your body might want one thing, but your mind isn’t there yet.”

“Oh…” His gaze dropped to the ground.

I slid my fingers beneath his chin and tilted it up, then brushed my lips across his. “It’s not a ‘no’. If you still want me once you know where your preferences lie, then we can discuss things.”

“Ok.”

I stepped back and turned to the house.

“I… I’ll put out the fire,” he said softly.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I think I’m going to sit out here another few minutes.”

I cringed. My refusal had clearly hurt him. But it was also the right thing to do.

“Ok…” I replied after a couple of seconds. “I’ll be downstairs if you need me.”

“Thank you.”

I nodded, then strode across the yard and down my stairs—cock straining in my pants.

He wasn’t the only one I was denying. I would have loved to have been the first to show him what being with a man was like, but I refused to hurt him.

∞∞∞

I laid on my futon with an arm draped over my eyes, every muscle aching. Three days of double shifts had wiped me out. Luckily the night manager had recovered and would be working a double the next day to give me an extra day off.