The silence after Troy’s confession stretched until it became its own presence in the room.
Alex sat on the edge of the bed with his hands on his knees and the words still landing in stages. *Real feelings. Not just a s*x partner. Scared of losing you.* They should have felt like relief. Parts of them did. Other parts collided with everything that had come before—the deal, the rules, the locked doors, the nights Troy had spent with other people while Alex was at Kevin’s, the way care during a fever had almost been turned into leverage.
Troy hadn’t moved from his place near the foot of the bed. He looked like someone who had put something valuable on the table and couldn’t take it back. The usual armor was gone. What remained was tension and waiting.
Alex drew a slow breath. “You don’t g
