Page 73 of Corrado

“Fuck you,” Alessio muttered, his jaw tight, and his mouth twisting with his anger. “Fuck you for that, too, because you know, right? You know it’s better to have a piece of what you love than to have none of it at all.”

“I’m sor—”

“Fuck you for doing that to me.”

As fast as Alessio had come into the shower, he turned and left.

“Les, wait,” Corrado called after him.

He got nothing.

Not even a noise.

“Fuck.”

He hit the switch on the shower turning the water off, so he could go after Alessio. The cold air slammed into him again when he stepped beyond the glass doors, but he barely felt it. He was more concerned with the fact that the bathroom was now empty, the only sign of Alessio’s presence being the droplets of water on the floor leading out. Grabbing the towel on the rack, Corrado tightened it around his waist as he headed out of the bathroom.

Alessio hadn’t gone far.

Across the hotel room, the other man stripped out of the sopping wet clothes, leaving only his underwear, with his back turned to Corrado. There was no way he didn’t hear his approach because Corrado didn’t bother to be quiet as he came up behind him.

Still, Alessio said nothing as he pulled dry clothes from the bag. He stood straight, shoving the boxer-briefs down around muscular thighs as he finally turned around to face Corrado. Like now he had enough give-a-damn to allow the man his attention.

“Aren’t I always the one running away from you?” Corrado asked, bitterness coating every word. “Not the other way around.”

Alessio chuckled, nodding as he fisted the dry clothes in his hand. Standing there naked, he didn’t seem the least bit bothered by it. Not that Corrado expected anything different from him. Shame was not something Les was well acquainted with, to be honest.

“What, you don’t like a taste of your own medicine?”

“Don’t be a fucking child, Les.”

“I’m not.” Lifting his shoulders, Alessio added, “See, it changes nothing here, Corrado. You said what you needed to say to keep your pride right where you like it—but it isn’t what you want to say. And it changes fuck all.”

“What does that even—”

“We’re still something, and you’re still mine.”

Corrado blinked.

Stunned.

Alessio smirked a bit, clearly liking the reaction he got for that. “Yeah, because if you get to decide shit just because without considering me, then I get to do the same. And I decided that. You’re mine, and while we’re doing this together, keep that in mind.”

He stepped closer.

Corrado didn’t move an inch.

Just like in the shower, Alessio crowded him until all he could see was an ocean of stormy blue coming for him. Those eyes of Alessio’s always told the truth of things far better than his mouth did.

He was hurt—he wouldn’t say it, though.

He was pissed—it was just an afterthought right now.

Corrado did that.

He hated it.

“How’s that for you?” Alessio asked.