Drawing the line

[Aldon Huang]

The entire bus ride over to Ryland's apartment, Aldon was a mess. He kept looking out of the wide windows of the bus, out onto the street, as though... as though Gregg might be keeping pace alongside it. As though Gregg might be out there, knowing what he was about to do, where he was about to go.

Never in his entire life had Aldon felt this guilty, which was a minor miracle given how hard he'd disappointed Ryland in the past. But... he had never purposely set out to hurt Ryland. He did so through his own utterly selfish actions, yes, but never purposely. Never with the intent to run behind Ryland's back, never deliberately setting out to break his heart.

And yet, he couldn't turn his back on Ryland, either.

This was the part where Aldon usually turned tail and ran, yellow streak showing a mile wide. There was too much pressure on both sides--to stay with Gregg, for the good of the pack but also because he genuinely felt something for him. And on the other side of the equation, Ryland. His soul mate, if such things existed. His soul mate who made it pretty clear that he was not pleased with the recent developments.

In the middle? Aldon was sandwiched between the rock and the hard place, speeding down main street in a ramshackle bus.

He curled up in his seat and rocked forward, then backward. Part of him wanted to just run away, out of sight of both men. Maybe nobody would notice his absence. (Lie: everybody would notice.) Maybe he could come back in a month and everything would have worked itself out. (Wrong: things would be infinitely worse and he knew it.)

It hardly felt like any time at all before he was trudging off the bus, raking a hand agitatedly through his hair as he looked up at the modest apartment building that Ryland lived in. He moved--again--after their last break-up. Idiotically, Aldon thought of those times ruefully as being easier times--better times, despite the heartache that he and Ryland put each other through. At least only two people were involved back then. It was only them playing games, only he and Ryland making a mess of their lives. There wasn't that third person in the equation to tangle everything up. (The human obviously didn't count in Aldon's eyes.)

He reached into his pocket for reassurance--the block of post-it notes sat nestled between his keys and some spare change. Nervously, Aldon flicked a thumb over the stack. He took in a deep breath and then stepped into the building, walked up to the elevator, got into it. It rumbled and shook as it took him upstairs and the doors slid open to an empty hallway. Aldon stopped in front of the right door. Hesitated. His hand had risen with the intent to rap on the door but now it formed a loose fist. An indecisive fist. He pulled it back but remembered... the passionate embrace behind the animal shelter.

Knock knock knock!

[Ryland Ren]

Honestly, Ryland half expected Aldon not to show up. When times got rough, Aldon ran for the hills and if this wasn't a tough time, then Ryland couldn't think of a tougher one. Still, a part of him hoped that things would be different. The words had been exchanged now. It wasn't just one of them speaking and the other agreeing or nodding or changing the damn subject. Now it was mutual, it had been spoken mutually.

Yet he wondered if he could really go through with this. Ryland could definitely play the hot/cold card when he wanted to. Sometimes, he welcomed Aldon with arms wide open but there were just as many times where he'd turned his head away and told Aldon to just leave. They were both... not ideally suited, it seemed, to long term relationships. Or they were, just maybe not with each other, despite how often they came back to one another. Ryland didn't think he'd ever love anybody nearly as much as he loved Aldon. Ever. But he could love. He had the capacity to love again, to find new relationships, to fool himself into a new happily ever after before he saw Aldon again and that flame was lit anew.

He sat in the middle of his bed, legs crossed with his hands holding his ankles. His oversized sweater dwarfed him but it was warm, soft, and cozy as he listened to the wind outside his window. Rain droplets rolled down against it and he stared outside, as if he could somehow see Aldon when he showed up. Too bad his apartment faced the back of the street.

Lowering his head, he stared down at his own ankles and he sighed. He didn't know what he was doing anymore. He wanted to tell Aldon he couldn't do this, not while Aldon was with somebody else. At the same time, he didn't feel... as guilty as he might have if the other person was an innocent party like his own boyfriends had been in the past. This was a hunter... ex or not.

Taking in another deep breath, he started to hold it when he heard the knocks. Although he'd been expecting them, Ryland still jumped at the sound. Then he was unfolding himself from the bed, scrambling to his feet, stumbling into his slippers and then heading for the door. He peered through the peephole--couldn't be too careful right now--and saw that it was just Aldon, and Aldon alone.

He unlocked the door and flung it open, heartbeat thumping hard in his throat. Since it was just Aldon, he felt little shame in leaping up and clinging onto him like a koala baby.

"You actually made it," he breathed against Aldon's ear, elated after setting himself up for one hell of a disappointment.

[Aldon Huang]

One moment, Aldon was nervously waiting for the door to open and the next--

"Oof!"

Armful of Ryland. It sure beat a shoe to the head though. Aldon's arms wound around him immediately and he turned to breathe Ryland in--not only his shampoo and cologne and whatever else, but him. His scent, the one that screamed not just fox but one particular fox. It was a purely animalistic instinct, and probably the one that led them to both argue and love with equal parts passion and ferocity.

"Of course I made it!" He wasn't so overcome by the sight, sound and scent of his lover that he couldn't sound indignant. Awkwardly, Aldon tried to move them inside. He waddled in and let the door slide closed behind him. It would have been easier to let go, disengage and walk in like a normal human being but he didn't want to let go of Ryland.

Ryland was the only thing keeping him from turning and getting on the return bus to his apartment.

[Ryland Ren]

He laughed, partly out of relief and partly because Aldon managed to sound so indignant. Really, it wouldn't have been much of a surprise if Aldon ended up not showing up, making some excuse or other... maybe even not that much. If that had been the case, Ryland would have taken the radio silence for confirmation that something more... real was going on between Aldon and his new guy, something that had more to do with the person and Aldon's feelings than it did with having to do it "for the pack."

Faced with the same situation, Ryland couldn't say he wouldn't do the same thing. But... would he? For years, Ryland absolutely loathed human beings for what they were capable of doing to his cousins. Yet he eventually found himself dating one, kissing him, whispering sweet words to him. Ryland didn't want to face up to being a total hypocrite, though.

He held on tighter to Aldon for a moment, grinning at him because Aldon hadn't dropped him or even tried to make him get down. Ryland laughed again because they had to look like a pair of goofs... to all the eyes that weren't looking at them in his empty apartment.

"So? Did you bring it?"

[Aldon Huang]

Aldon uttered several undignified grunting noises as he tried to get inside properly, only to stagger and smack his shoulder into the wall. "What," he wheezed, giving it another go. Aldon got off the wall and waddled out from the entryway, into the living room.

"You're... so heavy!"

The couch provided a convenient spot to drop Ryland onto, except Aldon toppled with him--half purposely, it must be admitted. Also sorta because his legs gave out from under him. "Oof!" He found himself sprawled on top of Ryland, with his face mashed against his chest. Aldon laid there unmoving for several moments, catching his breath.

Either Ryland gained a few pounds or he needed to work out more!

"Pocket," he said in a muffled voice, wiggling his hips to indicate where 'it' was. The stack of post-its in all colors of the rainbow, that he had to run out to the store to grab, and which he was scribbling on for most of the bus ride over. Then he wiggled again, this time to get off the couch. "No wait! Not yet!" Aldon put his hands in his pockets as though to prevent Ryland from getting at them. "Close your eyes! Look away!"

[Ryland Ren]

The post-it had now become an impromptu ticket to Ryland's heart and he wanted it, the physical proof of the things they'd talked about before. He wanted it, too, for those times when he thought for sure they were doomed and he couldn't believe he kept wasting time by going back to Aldon time and time again. Maybe this would help. Maybe it would be a strong reminder.

Whatever it was, he liked the idea of it. He wanted to see the words on paper, in Aldon's handwriting. Didn't matter how messy it might be or even if it was completely legible. Somehow, he just felt like he needed that thing in his hand, too look it over. Something tactile, something real, something with weight, even if it was something as light and fluttery as paper.

"No," he denied--he wasn't heavy! "You need to go to the gym more often!" Which he couldn't believe he even had to say since Aldon did have some nice arm muscles. And nice legs. And nice... everything. Everywhere. But as soon as the roles were reversed and it was Aldon's weight against him, it was Ryland who let out a muffled little whine not wholly unlike a distressed fox before he grasped Aldon by the shoulder and pushed at it.

"You're the heavy one!"

The wiggling hips was interesting, though. His gaze dropped to the aforementioned hips and he smirked but then before he knew it, Aldon was up and guarding his pockets like he knew Ryland was about to go and reach for them.

"Then how am I going to see them?" he protested, hands moving to Aldon's wrists like he could somehow wrest them away.

[Aldon Huang]

Aldon was not. Fat. He didn't even protest because it wasn't necessary to claim that he was in peak physical condition. Because. Look at him! But he settled for a dirty look; he could manage a dirty look.

As Ryland tried to get his hands out of his pockets, Aldon skittered away to put the coffee table between them as a physical barrier. "I have to do something with them first!"

He considered his choices. Ryland was a fox; even if Aldon told him to turn around and not look, he would likely peek. Foxes were like that, of course. (Not that Aldon wasn't like that...)

Without warning, Aldon bolted for the bedroom. He slammed and locked the door and stood with his back to it, digging his heels in like Ryland would try to batter down the door. "Just wait outside until I'm done! Two minutes Ry!" After giving the door handle a suspicious Look--did Ryland know how to pick locks??--he dove for the bed.

Aldon whipped out the block of post-its and began to arrange them on the bed, in the shape of a heart. Was it cheesy? Yes. But Ryland went for cheesy. (Har har har.) It took less than a couple of minutes and the final one, Aldon stuck over his own heart. It was stupid--but his pulse raced. He'd said the words and everything, though! It wasn't like he stood a chance of being rejected. This was just all new to him, and his heart pounding was out of excitement rather than fear.

With one last inspection of his rainbow heart, Aldon edged toward the door. "Okay, it's reaady!" He grinned as he unlocked it, then ran back to the bed and hurled himself onto it, assuming a "Draw me like one of your French girls" position on top of the mattress, beside the post-its.

[Ryland Ren]

"Whoa!"

He nearly toppled over as Aldon suddenly bolted away and toward his bedroom. Ryland rolled up onto one knee and grabbed onto the couch arm, watching in bewilderment as Aldon shut the door behind him. Up and after him, Ryland was too late--as he reached for the doorknob, it locked in place. Ryland shook it a couple of times, then knocked, like that was going to work.

It didn't.

At least, not immediately.

"Did you come to my place to lock me out of my own bedroom?" he asked through the door as he leaned against it. Beneath the crack in the door, he couldn't even tell what was happening. All he knew was that Aldon wasn't sitting by the door anymore. He had moved away. Ryland tried the knob again. Then frowned. Not working. Should he just let Aldon alone? He laughed aloud at the idea. No. He didn't wait half the night for this. Just as he was about to try knocking and calling out again, the door unlocked.

He heard it, followed by feet scurrying across the room. Ryland turned his head, trying to listen better. Nothing else. No, breathing. Just one person. Something else. Crinkle... sounds...? Hesitantly, he turned the knob again and this time it gave way, allowing him to swing the door open to... Aldon on the bed with a bunch of colorful papers. Post-its. Ryland raised his brows and gave Aldon a Look. He wasn't dumb--he could see the shape they formed--and that one silly one on Aldon's chest. As he moved forward, Ryland tilted his head and smirked, reaching out for the one over Aldon's heart.

"You forgot something."

[Aldon Huang]

"Did not!" Aldon protested, mentally running over everything. There were post-its. Ryland wanted post-its and he brought them! DID he forget something? Was there something else he needed to bring or to have with him? (Aside from his fine, not-fat self, obviously.)

"You're making things up now."

He looked up at Ryland, at the smirk that had formed on his face, and something in him stirred. It was impossible to not feel something for Ryland, be it good, bad or ugly. That stirring was... good. Promising. It edged out his thoughts of guilt, at least for the moment.

"This counts as your birthday and Christmas presents." Now he was making things up. Ryland would want a present for each occasion and Aldon would give them to him, if only to store up those precious brownie points--for when he invariably screwed up and needed a little buffer between himself and Ryland's righteous anger. He grinned, winningly, and reached for Ryland. His hand slipped up Ryland's arm--the one outstretched toward him.

Just in case he did forget something... "I... love you~" There was only a minor pause. The words no longer stuck in his throat. His grin widened as his hand slipped up higher to rest on Ryland's shoulder. "I did good this time, huh?"

[Ryland Ren]

"Hmm," he said, as if he had to think it over. "No, I think you did."

This was probably why he drove poor Aldon nuts but personally, he thought it was payback for all the times Aldon drove him crazy. How often had Ryland been sent into a downward spiral because he wanted more than Aldon seemed capable of giving? Now, he was just being greedy and he knew it. Because here Aldon was, with so many post-its that Ryland wondered how long he'd spent on them. Did they all have writing on them? He peered past the one he had taken from Aldon's chest. Seemed like it.

Impressive.

Not that he'd say that part aloud, because if he knew Aldon--and he did--then he'd just be inflating that ego of his. Sometimes he didn't mind doing so but there were other times where he wanted to pull Aldon closer to earth instead of watching him float away.

The look he gave Aldon for saying that this evening counted for his birthday and Christmas, however. He had a feeling that Aldon knew exactly what that look meant. It wasn't even presents in themselves that made him give Aldon that look. It was the fact that holidays, he felt, should be celebrated on their correct days. Didn't matter what the present was, as long as the day itself was made memorable in some way or other. Even if it was something silly and cheesy like post-its in the shape of a heart.

Ryland drew closer, a knee propped on the bed, disturbing some of the post-its. His gaze was on Aldon's, though. A part of him was distantly aware that he'd given Aldon a new weapon in any argument they had from now on. Those words hit him straight in the heart. It didn't even matter that there was a slight hesitation in them. The point was that Aldon was saying it, which made it easier to ignore the reason they were here now, in Ryland's room instead of at Aldon's place, where they originally meant to go.

With a mischievous smile, he pressed Aldon back against the tiny scraps of paper on the bed. A hand slid up, beneath Aldon's shirt.

"Could've done a tiny bit better." This time he gave Aldon's clothes a sweeping gaze. Yes, if Aldon had already been undressed, this whole thing would be Perfect with a capital P.

[Aldon Huang]

"I didn't!" Aldon insisted--more forcefully this time, as doubt began to mount. He could've sworn he did everything he needed to! He even brought more than one note and he made a perfectly symmetrical heart out of them! (Sort of. If symmetrical meant that one side was larger than the other, and a little crooked...) That was going above and beyond as far as he was concerned.

This Romantic Gesture (capitals included) had to tide him over for at least a couple of weeks, or however long it took for Gregg to find out from his hunter buddies about Andrew's killer. Aldon hated to think that he was not only cheating (about to cheat?) but that he was using Gregg. So he didn't think about it, and instead focused on the way that Ryland was looking at him.

It was the sort of look Aldon generally reserved for prime steak, or an opportunity for a tummy rub.

Laying on his back and looking up into Ryland's eyes, affection swept over Aldon like a warm, sweet wave. He smiled despite Ryland's criticism, good-naturedly rolling his eyes. Underneath, the post-its crinkled as he shifted.

"I did it just fine! Don't pick on me!"

Didn't have to make sense, anything that came from his mouth. Or anything that came from Ryland's mouth. They were connected by more than mere words, more than their history of making up and breaking up. There were post-its now. There was solid proof that Aldon's heart never went anywhere--it was just... shy. In hiding. But it didn't really ever stray (too far).

Reaching down, he slid his own hand overtop of Ryland's and urged it higher, bunching up his own shirt along the way. "Did I at least earn a tummy rub?" Aldon asked hopefully, even as he was manipulating Ryland's hand up and down his stomach, and even while his free hand was drifting not-so-innocently up Ryland's thigh.

[Ryland Ren]

"I'm not picking on you."

He was just pointing out that one tiny, tiny change would have made this whole thing absolutely perfect. Either way, it was kind of already their kind of perfect. A little lopsided, a little messy, but... theirs. That was the part that made things perfect. Although there might have been cracks in their foundation, they somehow kept things exciting, new, fresh. Interesting. And comfortable, too. There were things he did with Aldon, things he could say that he knew would never be the same with anybody else. The words I love you, could be whispered into another's ear but it wasn't like this. It never had been. Something always kept him looking back, even when he thought for sure that he'd finally left all things Aldon behind him.

It wasn't necessarily a bad thing. When they were together like this, it all fell into place like they'd never stopped seeing each other, like there had been no others, like there were no others now. Ryland loved Aldon with a fierce ache of the chest and a soft throb in his throat. His gaze moved to the note he'd taken off Aldon's chest and the ache only seemed to grow. He didn't toss it away--he was the one who asked for these--but instead, gently folded it and slipped it away into his back pocket. Even knowing full well that the pants would come off, he'd find that note again later and he'd keep it. He'd kept the little earring too, even if he didn't wear it. He wondered if Aldon even remembered that. Did he hang onto the one he'd kept for himself? Couple items. Really, even though it'd taken Aldon so long to just say the simple words, it was blatantly obvious how he felt in every sentimental gesture he made.

Why didn't he see that before? When the relationship soured, it colored everything in a new light. Ryland looked back on all Aldon's romantic gestures as nothing but show. But in the moment... he couldn't possibly think it. Not when he saw the smile on Aldon's face, the way his eyes lit up and he seemed to come alive when they were close, when they were together.

"I think you did," he said, eyes wandering up to the place where Aldon's shirt bunched up at his wrist. He played along, letting his hand be guided in a familiar motion. He would have done it anyway--that was the goal when he slid his hand up Aldon's shirt. But he was distracted by a certain other hand, sliding up his thigh. He let it keep on sliding as he leaned down to hover over Aldon, nose scrunched up for a few seconds before smiled, laughed, and moved Aldon's shirt up further. When he kissed Aldon, it was soft, affectionate--at first. Then it was tinged with mischievousness as he tugged at Aldon's shirt to remove it entirely. Sadly, it meant disengaging from the kiss--but only for a moment.

Once the shirt was gone, his hand slid up further and his lips met Aldon's again. With his heart beating faster, he kissed Aldon with renewed fervor, his body remembering all too well what hadn't happened back at the shelter when they were last together. Then, he'd been revved up and ready to go, feeling playful and sensuous. Now... Now he didn't want to simply jump right to the good stuff, despite how eager he was to just rip Aldon's clothes right off. His hands, which had moved down to start toying with the front of Aldon's pants, paused.

"I love you," he whispered, nose to nose with Aldon. He raised a hand to the side of his face as he rolled onto his side. Precious Aldon. His gaze remained fixed on him while his leg slid between Aldon's legs. He kissed him again, fingers moving through Aldon's hair, down over the shell of an ear, over the fuzz on the back of his neck. "I don't know how you do it."

[Aldon Huang]

Yeesh.

Ryland really couldn't know how much power there was in a look--in an affectionate gaze, a fond glance--because what Aldon saw in his eyes made the entire world go quiet and still. Made the world stop, as a matter of fact. The only thing that moved was Aldon's heart, throbbing, beating against his ribcage, clamoring to escape the confines of his chest.

He swallowed.

Aldon had always loved Ryland but maybe he didn't fully realize it until that moment. Maybe he didn't know the depths of his own feelings. No, he definitely didn't know how far down that love ran. He was a little lost at the first kiss, pursing his lips to kiss back a beat too late. Just a tiny peck, a comfortable gesture of affection between them that soon evolved into something more meaningful.

Without really noticing it, his shirt was off. His hand was already at Ryland's waistband, fingertips hooked around the elastic, just barely brushing warm skin as he dragged the garment low. The post-it was secure in Ryland's back pocket. He didn't know why it surprised him that Ryland pocketed it... There were at least two dozen at Aldon's back, that he was laying on, but that one... The one he put over his actual heart...

There were playful fingers at his pants too, but nobody was ripping the clothes off the other, despite being raring to go just earlier. Honestly, they both knew why Aldon was here. They knew how the evening would play out. History was doomed to repeat itself but maybe their insanity would pay off. Do the same thing enough times and one time out of one hundred, something special and different might happen. The odds were small--but miracles were known to happen.

Aldon shifted closer, abandoning his former endeavor in favor of slipping a hand around to Ryland's back to hold him close. He smiled--a muted (for him) and gentle smile. "I know." Their voices were both soft, mere whispers. Their words were meant for each other; there was no need to shout from the rooftops. Aldon could be a shameless attention whore in public but even he knew the value of a whisper when spoken to his lover.

"I was born with it." Whatever 'it' was. Aldon's laugh was breathy as his eyes drifted half-closed, savoring the caress of fingers at the nape of his neck. He leaned forward and brushed his nose against Ryland's, then his lips against Ryland's lips. The kiss was slow and unhurried and sweet. Aldon's legs twined tighter around Ryland's.

"I love you too." Not even a pause this time around.

[Ryland Ren]

"I believe it." Aldon had to be born with it. The way he could shift the way Ryland felt with a single look? Ryland could see him looking at his parents the same way, with those big eyes settled on them. Somehow, Aldon managed to worm his way back to Ryland's side, no matter what he did to get himself pushed away in the past. Nobody else could get away with even a fraction of the things Aldon did with Ryland. This was exactly what the people around him were saying. His closest friends, his companions, his two best friends in the world. They tried to drum common sense back into him. Ryland even begged Alva to help save him from himself. But there was nothing Alva could do if Ryland didn't even want to save himself.

At the moment, it seemed like there was nothing here to be saved from. Despite the knowledge that Aldon hadn't broken up with his boyfriend and that there could be possible... things happening between Aldon and that guy, Ryland was still letting himself be drawn in closer, arching his back into Aldon's touch and letting out a soft little sound, mirth mingled with content.

"I love you even more when you say it," Ryland whispered back, his lips brushing Aldon's with each word. He couldn't seem to tear his gaze from Aldon's dark eyes. Another kiss, another slow, soft, unhurried kiss. Before Aldon arrived, Ryland was pretty sure he was just going to jump Aldon and they'd fuck--like wild animals that had been denied the urge for far too long. Now he couldn't imagine this evening turning into something so crass. Funny, coming from a fox that was all too ready to do just that out in public not long ago.

That was before things became so serious.

Ryland was aware that he had been acting fairly territorial earlier and that was mainly because this--this thing happening now? Normally, Ryland was the one with the power to break up and make up. Sure, he broke down at Aldon's persistence and puppy eyes but it was always Ryland making the choices. Even if he was softened up, Ryland was the one who said sure, they were getting back together or Ryland was the one stepping back.

Aldon, though?

This was the first time that somebody felt like an actual threat. Aldon might just abandon other people. He might break things off with somebody else if it meant having Ryland back again. But... this, this thing with the other guy. It unsettled Ryland. Dare he even think it scared him a little? It started out with seeing them at a festival that had always been earmarked for the two of them. But it got worse now, with all the sordid drama surrounding the wolf pack.

Ryland's next kiss was just a touch more possessive with that in the back of his mind. But he was pleased because it was his back that Aldon's slid over and it was his legs that were entangled with Aldon's. He didn't often think it but he thought it now: mine. And in thinking it, he looked over Aldon's bare shoulder, at the smooth skin. He wanted so badly to leave a mark, some small indication that he'd been there. But he also didn't want to compromise Aldon's position, either.

[Aldon Huang]

"Thennn... I'll say it a lot from now on." Aldon grinned into the kisses. Unless this was one of those law of diminishing returns things, he'd say it left and right. Hey, he got into a lot of trouble with Ryland for a lot of perceived offenses. Sometimes he didn't know what he said or didn't say, or did or failed to do, that ticked Ryland off. Sometimes... he suspected that nothing he said or did was right, that Ryland was annoyed about something else altogether and used his latest escapade as an outlet for his own frustrations.

Probably over this very thing--over the words.

Aldon knew how much it hurt Ryland when he didn't reciprocate. It hurt him, too. After a while, the scratch became a sore, became an open wound. They couldn't even pretend that they were all right towards the end and emotions always ran too high for them to have a proper reunion--or a proper break-up. Ryland was the one controlling the status of their relationship and Aldon always felt too pressured to stick around.

Yet, for some reason, they still drifted back to each other. Nothing about their relationship was healthy or normal and everybody said so. The people closest to them were only trying to help, Aldon knew that, but he grew to resent them as much as he grew to resent Ryland's constant pushing and prodding. Nothing felt right. He didn't know where to turn or what to do and if not for Gregg, Aldon probably would have ended up walking along a much darker path.

But he didn't want to think about Gregg, or how much Gregg really did for him--how much good Gregg did while they were together, to repair the parts of Aldon that had been broken and torn. He kept his eyes on Ryland. He kissed Ryland, let his scent and warmth steal away the bad, guilty feelings and thoughts until all he felt was love, and being loved. There was something a little fierce in the last kiss but Aldon liked it, even as it surprised him. He hadn't been joking when he said that Ryland was becoming more and more wolf-like; that felt more like a wolf's kiss more than a sly little fox kiss.

"What're you looking at?" Aldon's tone was mildly amused. He, too, looked at his own shoulder, and then he looked at Ryland's shoulder. Mistaking the scrutiny for something else, he tugged on Ryland's shirt, thinking that Ryland was contemplating their state of dress. Clothes had to come off. That seemed like a given, since they'd already come this far. Languidly his leg slid up the side of Ryland's leg, then back down. What happened to the rest of that belly rub? Aldon's stomach was conspicuously un-rubbed right now.

He reached for one of Ryland's hands and placed it back on his stomach. Then he gave Ryland the devastating puppy eyes, just like he said he would over the phone. "More tummy rub?"