Page 31 of Teach Me To Sin
“I don’t just stop at random houses,” he snaps, climbing out and slamming the door hard behind him. Between wasting his entire day and listening to Alek barf most of the way here–in a bag, but still–I think Colson’s done. He stalks toward the house like he’s going to abandon me with a mostly unconscious man, but then he slows down, pauses, and comes back again to open the passenger door.
With him lifting and me pushing, we force Alek out into the fresh evening air. The man refuses to get his feet under him, so Colson has to hold up his entire dense, muscled body weight. As I stand and stretch out the cramps from being smushed in the middle, Alek buries his face in Colson’s shoulder with a queasy retching sound.
“Donotvomit on me,” Cole murmurs, glaring over his head at me like this is my fault. With his free hand, he tosses me a set of keys. “Porsche emblem locks the car, and the plastic fob activates the front door. Hurry, please.”
Once I take care of the car, I lead the way up a couple of pristinely clean concrete steps and tap the chip against the digital lock, which clicks and then beeps deep within the house.
“Turn right inside the door and enter 4335,” Colson grunts, adjusting Alek against his hip. “Before the alarm goes off.”
I dodge into the dark entry and squint at the dimly lit panel of buttons. My family is too wealthy for security systems–or rather, our systems involve guards and high-tech surveillance–so I’m relieved when I deactivate it without messing anything up. Eager to get a peek of Colson’s private life, I traipse further down the short hall into a kitchen-living room combo.
“Benji, wait a min–” Colson warns behind me at the same time a monster made of flapping hair and eight spindly legs scrambles around the corner and charges me. I’m not all that sober either, so I just freeze with my mouth open and wait to die.
A light goes on over my head, and the eight-legged beast becomes two four-legged dogs as tall as my hip with long silky hair and the most ridiculous faces I’ve ever seen. The black one throws himself on me, bouncing on its hind legs, while the other one spins in circles and wags its tail furiously.
“Down, Hamlet,” Colson chides behind me, growling in frustration when the other dog tries to weave between his legs. “Jesus Christ, will you two get out of the way? Do you want beef sticks? Treats?”
At those words, the dogs scramble toward the kitchen so fast that their paws slip on the floor. They sit down on either side of a pair of metal dog bowls, vibrating with excitement and boring holes into us with their longing eyes.
“The fuck?” I giggle as Colson drags Alek past me. “Are those really dogs?”
“That’s what the adoption agency led me to believe,” the man snarks, lowering Alek onto the soft beige couch. His loose body instantly flops over sideways and curls up into a ball with a confused groan. “Open that cupboard and get them a couple of jerky sticks before they explode.”
I sidle over to the gangly creatures and reach past them to grab a plastic tub of treats. As soon as I twist the lid, long strings of drool drip between their lips. “But they look like anteaters.” Each dog politely takes a treat, then trots away to a cushy pillow in the corner where they flop down together in a pile of limbs.
“How rude.” Colson pulls a glass off a shelf and fills it with water. “Don’t listen to him, lord and lady.”
Since his back is turned, he doesn’t notice my mouth fall open with glee. I didn’t know the man could be so totally adorable. I’m not sure he realizes either.
“Hello?” A slurred, plaintive voice drifts from the couch. “Where am I?”
I catch Colson rolling his eyes, but he carries the glass of water across the room and sits on the edge of a stunning, hand-carved coffee table made of dark red wood. “You’re at my house. Benji’s here too.” When he reaches for Alek, the man slaps his hand away. “Okay, you’re very drunk. Sit up and have some water.”
“I don’t get drunk,” Alek growls, curling into a tighter ball.
Colson shoots me an aggrieved look. “That’s obvious, since you have no idea how to pace yourself.”
I come to his rescue, plopping on the couch and tugging Alek’s arm until he’s sitting upright. He presses a clammy hand to his forehead and moans, swaying a little. It must suck to have a room spinning around you when you don’t even know where the room is. Without thinking, I slide my fingers between his and squeeze comfortingly. “Deep breaths.”
Ignoring my instructions, he peers at me with bleary eyes. “I did a bad thing,” he mumbles. When I shush him, he clumsily presses his index finger over my mouth to shut me up. “A veeeery bad thing.”
He doesn’t resist when I pull his finger off my face. “Good to know. Where do we need to bury the bodies?” I shouldn’t have joked, because that confuses him so completely that he almost loses the ability to form words. He shakes his head to clear it, then stops when he realizes he’s making the room spin more. Colson’s eyebrows go up when Alek waves a pointing finger in his direction. “I kissed him. A lot. But I kissed you a lot too, and that’s bad.”
“Hey, it’s okay.” I reach up and smooth his hair back, trying not to laugh. This is ridiculous, but Alek looks like he’s about to cry. “You mean at the pool, right? We all kissed, it’s fine.” I choose not to mention the second time, at the lesson, because that’s none of Colson’s business.
“What about the lesson?” Alek insists miserably.So much for that.“And the beach, in the dark. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I–”
Colson stands up abruptly, pressing his palm to his forehead like he has a migraine. “I’ve never heard of an apologetic drunk before, and it’s making me want to die.”
“When did you guys kiss on a beach?” I frown at him. The thought gives me bad feelings, but I don’t think they’re the feelings you’re supposed to have when the guy you like kisses someone else. I’m only mad I wasn’t there to watch. “Colson?”
Before he can decide whether to answer me, Alek leans forward and vomits up the water he just drank onto the corner of a beautiful blue and gold rug.
“Oh my god.” Colson’s jaw flexes as he closes his eyes. “This fucking man.”
I rub Alek’s back and offer Colson a bratty grin. Serves him right for kissing Alek without inviting me. “Be nice to him. He was a hero today.”
“I don’t care if he saved a burning train of orphans. He just puked on my irreplaceable rug.”