The police officer glanced his way. “It’s Craig, remember? I hope it’s okay that I’m making myself at home.”
“Of course.” Even as he said it, he understood that it wasn’t his call. He didn’t think anyone would truly mind, though. If they hadn’t wanted the man to make free with the house, he’d be out of the door already. Val and the others were ever-so-careful with security.
“I should do that.”
Craig waved that comment away. “Nah, I’m good.”
Alun approached the sitting side of the counter, keeping it between them. Not that he was afraid… It was habit. “I thought you were a right terror in the kitchen?”
“I am, if it involves fire of any kind. This, however,” he said, gesturing to his spread, “is only sandwich-making. Bread, some mayo and mustard, tomatoes and lettuce—to please my mama’s worry about my diet—and a whole lot of meat slices and cheese.” He shrugged. “Even I can’t fuck this up. You want one?”
Alun’s stomach growled before he could answer.
Craig smiled. He had such nice, straight white teeth. “I’ll take that as a yes. Have a seat. You look tired.”
“Oh.” Alun put his hands to his face as if he could feel what the man was seeing. He did as he’d been told and said, “It’s been a long, difficult day.”
“Any time your kid is in trouble is a hard one, I imagine. What’s your pleasure?” he asked with a gesture to the ingredients.
Alun shrugged. “Anything’s fine. I’m not fussy.”
“One Dagwood coming up.”
“I’m sorry… I don’t know what that means.”
Craig smiled at him. It made him feel warm deep inside, which was silly, given how little time they’d known each other. “It’s from a comic strip way back when. It just means you get a tall order of everything.”
Alun watched as the man constructed a tower of a sandwich. “I don’t think I can eat that much.”
Craig shrugged. “Eat what you want and save the rest for later. Or, throw it away. I don’t think these guys are living on a tight budget or anything.”
“Oh, I’ll save it. Wasting food is sinful.”
“You and my mama would get along great.”
“She probably knows what it’s like to go hungry.”
“You got that right. My brother and I never have. That’s just one of the many reasons why I love and respect my parents. They worked their tails off to make sure we never did without.”
He finished two sandwiches by cutting them in half, then placed one on a plate and slid it over to Alun. “Tuck into that. What would you like to drink?”
“I love iced tea, as it happens. I’ll get it,” he added, starting to slide off his chair.
“No, I will. Jesus, Alun, take a break every once in a while.” The stern rebuke was softened by one of those smiles.
Settling down, he said, “I’ve hardly done a thing all day.”
“I have a feeling you have a skewed view of labor.” So saying, the man filled two tall glasses of tea and, after handing one to Alun, stood against the counter and took a big bite out of his own sandwich.
Alun did the same, enjoying the various flavor combinations. It was new to him, this Dagwood, and he found that he liked it. “It’s delicious,” he said in between bites. “Thank you.”
They ate quietly for a while before Craig spoke again. “You want to tell me what’s bothering you? I mean, besides your boy being in the situation he’s in.”
Surprised, Alun froze mid-bite. How does he know? He worked his brain to come up with an acceptable answer. Annika wouldn’t like his sharing her plans, even with this human. Besides, if something had to be done to stop her, Craig simply wasn’t the one to do it.
“That’s all,” he replied lamely, his cheeks heating from the embarrassment. He hated lying to the man, given his kindness.
Craig stood studying him. “Okay, we’ll let it lie for now. You’ve made good progress on that,” he added with a nod to Alun’s plate.
He’d eaten more than half of his sandwich and downed the entire glass of tea. Although he wanted to keep eating, if only to prolong this pleasant experience, his stomach was starting to protest. “Thanks, but I think I’m done.” He wiped his mouth on the napkin Craig had supplied and sat back. “I suppose you need to get going?” Craig had polished off his meal already and was putting everything away.
“Not really. It’s not like I have anyone waiting for me or anything.” He looked at Alun over his shoulder. “I’m not currently involved with a man, if I haven’t made that perfectly clear yet.”
Now, Alun’s cheeks felt as if they’d caught on fire. “Oh…well…” He didn’t know what to say in response.
Craig finished what he was doing and came to lean over the counter. “I’m sorry if I’m making you uncomfortable. That’s not my intent, and I also know that with what you’ve been through, getting personally entangled with me is probably not on your to-do list, even if you weren’t worrying about your son.
“The thing is, I’m going to be joining the others on this rescue mission and, at the risk of sounding corny, I don’t want to leave without declaring my intentions. I might not have much time left, you know?”
“Don’t say that, mun!” The vehemence came out of nowhere, but the mere thought of this man getting killed sent a fresh wave of horror through him.
“Hey, relax. Jesus, I’m sorry.” Racing around the counter, Craig put his arm lightly around Alun’s shoulder. “I didn’t mean to freak you out.”
Alun blinked his tears away. “You did. I don’t want anyone getting hurt or dying on my account.”
Craig pulled him slowly into a hug, keeping his hold loose, yet clearly offering the comfort of his broad chest. Alun dared to lay his cheek against it. There was no fear, only solace. He knew that if he struggled to free himself, Craig would let him go.
“I’m not going to lie and say I’m not doing this for you, because I am—and for my people. You know…humans. This fucker needs taking down and I happen to have the right experience to help make this mission a success. I would do this whether you existed or not, whether your son’s life was on the line or not. It happens that both of those things give me extra incentive.”
“I can’t imagine why.” Surely there was nothing that he had to offer this man that others couldn’t provide better, and with less baggage.
Craig cupped Alun’s cheek and raised his face to stare into his eyes. “You really don’t get it, do you?” When Alun could only shake his head, he continued, “You’re beautiful and so very precious. How could I not want to make you happy? I’m going to kiss you now, unless you don’t want me to.”
Alun wanted to say he didn’t, yet the words somehow stuck in his throat. He kept his eyes open as Craig’s face got closer to his. Then he had to shut them because Craig’s lips were brushing against his. It was slow and gentle and sweet… and over far too quickly.
“There… That’s going to have to hold me, even though I’d like to do so much more.”