Switch Him Up & Turn Him On

by Marie Medina

Christian knew he meant his hands, but he still laughed. “Didn’t you hear me just now?”

  “Oh, yes, I did.” He sat up and gestured to the bathroom. “Come on. Let me clean you up. I want you in here with me tonight. Every night. You staying on the couch is stupid.” He playfully rolled his eyes as he walked backwards toward the bathroom. “We’ve been fucking since your second day back. You belong in here with me.”

  Christian rose. “I wanted to give you space. Time.” He caught up to him and kissed him on the cheek. “I would never have denied you, even if you’d tossed me out on the balcony.”

  Alec laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind if you ever end up in the doghouse again.”

  Sobering, Christian said, “You can do anything you like with me. I’ll never run again.”

  “I know.” Alec pulled him into the shower and kissed him with such tenderness that Christian knew nothing would ever come between them again.

  One Month Later

  Alec jumped when he heard the door to his apartment fly open and then whiz shut again. Alec had barely made it out of the bedroom when Christian came careening down the hallway and tackled him to the floor.

  “You get an urge to try to take your dominance back or what?” Alec said teasingly. “I’m open to discussion, but I’m addicted to being inside you. You might have to tie me down the first time.”

  Christian rolled his eyes, but Alec still saw the slight blush spread over his face. “No, I got the job!”

  “Which one?”

  “The new tutoring center over at the community college. It’s full-time with benefits. I can finally start helping around here more. Or we can get a bigger apartment if you want.”

  Alec put his arms around Christian and rolled, switching their positions. “I like this place. I want to stay here until we buy a house together.”

  Christian really blushed this time. “You mean it? You want to buy a house?”

  Alec nodded. They had been seeing a counselor once a week, and Christian had named owning a house together as one of his top long-term goals for their relationship. “Yes. But I want to stay here until we find the perfect place. We fell in love here, and I think we’ve fucked a dozen times in every room. It’ll always be special.”

  Christian leaned up and kissed him. “I love you so much.”

  “I love you, too.” Chuckling, Alec toyed with the strands of hair falling across Christian’s forehead. “I’m so damn glad I didn’t hit you with that baseball bat.”

  Christian laughed. “That makes two of us.”

  Alec pinned Christian’s arms above his head. “You know though, we haven’t done it right here. You owe me, the way you pinned me here that night.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of stopping you.”

  As Christian leaned up into the kiss, Alec relished the way his lover submitted to him, loving him all the more for everything he’d done to prove their love could survive anything.

  Turn Him On

  Chapter 1

  Christian peered through the window in the oven door to check the casserole again. He’d chosen to do a casserole because it wouldn’t require much attention, but he still worried. Alec could turn practically anything into a delicious meal, and Christian didn’t believe his slowly improving skills were up to par yet. Tonight was an anniversary, although he didn’t know if it was one Alec would want to celebrate or not. Christian had come back into Alec’s life one year ago, after a misunderstanding followed by a poor decision on Christian’s part had resulted in a six-month separation. They’d never gotten to celebrate their first one-year anniversary because the misunderstanding had occurred a mere week before that milestone.

  Back then, Christian and Alec had planned to go away for the weekend to celebrate, and they’d even been talking about moving in together at that point. However, Christian had come to Alec’s apartment and found Alec on the floor underneath their friend Taylor. Believing the worst without even trying to get an explanation, Christian had fled, ignoring every attempt Alec had made to explain the truth. When Christian had finally discovered the truth—that Taylor had made a pass at Alec and been rejected—Christian had come crawling back to Alec. Only time and patience and lots of honest conversations had saved their relationship. Neither had ever stopped loving the other, but they’d really had to work on trusting each other. Christian still struggled from time to time with jealousy, and he knew Alec often worried Christian might have a jealous episode or run out on him again.

  Tonight was all about celebrating the fact that they’d made it a whole year without anything bigger than a heated argument. He knew they’d grown as a couple and as individuals. They’d even gone house hunting together, something Christian had said he wanted when they attended a couples counselor together for the first three months after their reconciliation.

  Looking around the apartment, Christian began feeling nervous again. What if tonight only reminded Alec of how awkward and painful that night one year ago was? Christian had used the key he’d neglected to return and slipped into the apartment, and Alec had come very close to clobbering him with a baseball bat because he thought Christian was a burglar. And then they’d argued. Alec had gone to bed angry and on the verge of tears, and Christian had slept on the floor outside Alec’s bedroom door, unable to make himself move any farther away.

  “What am I doing?” Christian whispered to himself. Celebrating tonight was probably as misguided as his plans for that night had been. Why did he have such a blind spot with things like this, never seeing the whole picture until the last moment? Alec had pointed out right away that sneaking into his apartment to surprise him with breakfast in bed more than qualified as stalker-like behavior.

  Before he could reconsider any further, Christian heard the apartment door open.

  “God, I’m exhausted!” Alec said as he came into the apartment and let the books in his hands crash onto the couch. He closed the door and set his bag down. “Can we order in tonight and just—” He stopped at the edge of the kitchen area, obviously noticing the smell of the casserole. “You cooked?”

  Christian nodded, not offering any further information.

  Alec smiled and pulled Christian into a hug. “You’re a mind reader, baby.” Alec kissed him in greeting, the embrace appreciative and passionate. “Smells great,” he added when they parted.

  Christian blushed. “It does. I hope it actually tastes good.”

  “I’m sure it will.” Alec kissed him again, his mouth exploring Christian’s slowly this time. “What’s the occasion?”

  Christian stiffened, and unfortunately Alec noticed.

  “What is it, Christian? Is there … something wrong?” Alec backed away a little, though he didn’t release Christian. “Do you have something to tell me?” He rubbed Christian’s back to encourage him to open up.

  Christian swallowed, gathering his courage, and looked into Alec’s eyes. “No. There’s nothing wrong. But, just before you got here, I started rethinking my plans for tonight.”

  Continuing to caress Christian’s back slowly, Alec said, “Okay. What were your plans?”

  “Well, tonight’s the anniversary of me coming back here. I wanted to have a nice, romantic evening. Then it occurred to me that my return wasn’t exactly romantic.”

  Alec looked around the apartment, noting the flowers and candles on the table, as well as the neatly wrapped present beside his plate. Alec lowered his eyes, but then he gazed up again and cupped Christian’s face in both his hands. “Yeah, you’re right. It wasn’t romantic at all. But that doesn’t matter. What matters is that you came back to me.”

  Those last few words came out in a sensual whisper. Christian caressed his fingers over Alec’s hands, and then he pushed him up against the refrigerator and kissed him deeply. Alec writhed against him briefly before moaning. The sound excited Christian, who pinned Alec’s hands on either side of his head and pressed his body closer. He angled his legs so that Alec couldn’t move at all. Christian hadn’t bee
n this aggressive with Alec since they’d gotten back together, as Christian’s controlling and physically dominating behavior had been one of Alec’s complaints. Christian stood nearly six inches taller than Alec, and he was far bigger and more muscular. Alec had made one demand right away—he wanted to be the dominant partner in the bedroom. Though he’d been nervous at first, Christian had found that he loved submitting to Alec, yet at times he did miss being the one in control. At that very moment, Christian wanted nothing more than to throw Alec over his shoulder, carry him to the bedroom, and fuck him for hours.

  Alec struggled more, and Christian forced himself to stop.

  “Christian!” Alec said on a gasp, panting heavily.

  Christian couldn’t tell if he was actually angry or simply shocked. “I’m sorry.” Christian closed his eyes. “I’m sorry. I know you don’t want it this way.”

  Alec sighed. Christian opened his eyes when he felt Alec’s lips brush his.

  “I was just surprised,” Alec said. He brushed their lips together again. “I didn’t realize how much I missed it.”

  Missed it? Christian’s heart pounded in his chest. “Missed what?”

  Alec laughed softly. “My big, strong lover holding me down and having his way with me. If you count all the time you were gone, it’s been eighteen months since you took the initiative and really made the first move with me.”

  “Alec, I know it annoys you how much I worry about making a mistake, but can you please clarify what you mean right now?”

  Alec stepped away and looked into the oven. “This is ready to come out.” He pulled the casserole out and set it on the stovetop to cool. “It smells great, baby.”

  Christian leaned against the counter, waiting as patiently as he could. He knew Alec was thinking how to word his answer, so he respected Alec’s hesitation despite the anxiety it inspired in him.

  Alec leaned against the counter across from him, folding his arms and meeting Christian’s gaze. He seemed to be putting a lot of thought into his response. Just when Christian began fidgeting, Alec finally said, “Exactly what I said. I’ve missed the way we used to be. Let me make it clear that I’m not complaining about our present sex life, but … the change we made a year ago had more to do with the relationship problems we were having. I was tired of always submitting and feeling like I had no control, but changing sexual positions was only symbolic. I probably put too much emphasis on it, and that’s why switching meant so much to me at the time. The other changes we both made meant far more and had a much bigger impact on our relationship.”

  “So, what do you want now?” Christian thought he understood, but he didn’t want to assume anything.

  Alec smiled sweetly. “I’d like to have my cake and eat it, too.”

  Christian raised his eyebrows. “Meaning?”

  Alec came forward. “Meaning it doesn’t matter who’s on top.” He leaned over and kissed Christian just below his ear, a spot he knew drove Christian crazy. “Doesn’t matter at all.”

  Christian ran his hand into Alec’s rich brown hair. “So, tonight we can switch?”

  “Yeah.” Alec let his fingers trail up and down the front of Christian’s shirt. “It might be fun to fight for dominance each time.”

  “You’d be counting on me to let you win sometimes?” Christian tried to keep his tone light and teasing.

  The look in Alec’s eyes told Christian that Alec knew he was being playful. “I think you’ll let me win more often than you think.” Alec pressed closer. “You should see your face when I fuck you. So damn sexy. I can tell how much you love it.”

  Christian leaned in for a kiss, but he paused when Alec’s stomach growled loudly. Both of them laughed. “Did you eat lunch?”

  Alec shook his head. “Didn’t have time. I was subbing for Dr. Frances all day, teaching his labs and mine, so I hardly had time to even go to the bathroom.”

  “Then let’s eat. I made salad, and we can have that while the casserole cools.” He turned to the fridge and got the salad out, grabbing the vinaigrette he’d made as well.

  “You made the dressing, too?” Alec asked, sounding stunned.

  Christian just smiled, glad he had at least managed not to blush this time. “Yeah. And banana pudding for dessert. Been planning this for a while now.”

  They sat down, and Christian heaped salad onto Alec’s plate. “Open your present. And don’t even think about protesting that you didn’t get me anything.”

  Alec looked down at the box and picked it up. He pulled the paper off carefully, and his eyes went wide when he saw what was nestled in the box. Alec lifted the pocket watch very carefully and opened it. He blinked several times before looking up. “My great-grandfather’s watch. You got it fixed?”

  “I had to drive a couple of towns over, but I found a guy with a very good reputation and glowing recommendations.” The watch had been broken for years, ever since it had been damaged in the car accident that had killed Alec’s mother and father. Alec had always been afraid of leaving it with someone he didn’t trust completely. “If you’re angry, I’m sorry, but he did an excellent job.”

  “How could I be angry? My inability to let someone work on it was … my problem.” Alec set the watch down and moved toward Christian, kneeling on the floor beside his chair. “Thank you, baby. No one else has ever understood what this watch means to me the way you do.”

  Christian slumped forward in relief. “I’ve been a wreck the last ten days, worrying you’d discover I’d taken it.”

  Alec leaned up and kissed him. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too.” Christian deepened the kiss, but then Alec’s stomach growled again. They dissolved into laughter as Christian gently pushed Alec away. “Eat. You’re going to need your strength.”

  “Am I?” Alec asked playfully.

  Christian licked his lips as he watched Alec take a bite of salad. “Oh yes. You definitely are.”

  Alec sat on the couch watching television while Christian concentrated on his computer. Christian ran the math and sciences tutoring center for the community college, and his boss had set him up mentoring a new employee, Noel. Alec hadn’t met the guy yet, but already Noel annoyed the hell out of Alec. Noel had sent Christian a text while they were having dessert, and now Christian was chatting online with him after having emailed him a bunch of stuff he’d asked for. Stuff, Christian had mumbled absently, that Noel should already have. It was Friday night. Didn’t this guy understand Christian had not only a life but also a boyfriend? Alec once again wished Christian could have found a job at the university instead of the community college so they could at least see each other a little during the day. However, walking out on his job as an assistant instructor the year before had really hurt Christian’s chances of returning to the university. Their mentor, Dr. Frances, had been understanding, but it was hard to ask strangers to be understanding in that way. Christian was very lucky to have found another academic job at all, so Alec tried not to complain.

  Alec caught Christian staring at him, and he realized he must have a pretty sour look on his face. Getting up from the couch, Alec tried his best to smile. He kissed Christian on the top of his head and then moved into the kitchen.

  “Sorry this is taking so long. Guess I should have just texted back and said I’d send him that stuff in the morning.” Christian bit his lip, looking both guilty and worried.

  Alec didn’t like that. Christian worried far too much. He still struggled to find a balance when it came to considering the feelings of both others and himself. However, Alec didn’t know what he could do or say to help. Did Christian really believe every move he made had to be perfect for Alec to keep loving him? Christian’s anxiety earlier in the evening told Alec that might be the case. Alec smiled again to try to put Christian at ease. “It’s okay.” Alec started heating some water in the kettle, and then he pulled out two mugs and began browsing the teas in the cabinet. “We need more tea when we go out. What kind do you want?”
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  “We still have lemon ginger?”

  Alec found the box. “Yeah, there are three bags. We’ll get some more tomorrow.” He placed one tea bag in his mug and two in Christian’s before throwing the box into the plastic container in the recycling corner. “We need to take the recycling down, too.”

  Christian typed quickly for a minute, leaning back and sighing as he waited for a response.

  “So,” Alec said, “is this guy doing okay? He seems to need a lot of help.”

  “He’s doing fine. He’s just really needy. He wants to talk to me every single day about his sessions. He always has questions.”

  Does he think you’re cute? Does he touch you? Does he laugh at your jokes no matter what? Alec couldn’t ask any of those questions. Christian’s jealousy had nearly destroyed their relationship. It had left them both feeling hurt and betrayed for six long months. Jealous behavior was not acceptable, and Alec was smart enough to know it went for him as well. He trusted Christian, but he knew that, despite his flaws, Christian was quite a catch. He was handsome and sexy, and he was also funny and kind. Now, he had far more control over his temper and his emotional reactions than he’d had when they’d started dating initially. People who met Christian now would not be aware of any of his flaws until they really got to know him, Alec assumed.

  “Well, I hope your superiors appreciate all this extra work you’ve been doing.” The kettle whistled, so Alec filled their mugs. He added a little bit of honey to each drink and then took one to Christian. Doing his best not to even glance at the computer screen, Alec moved back to the couch.

  “I think they do,” Christian said as he started typing again. “I promise I’ll be done soon.”

  “It’s okay. Take your time.” Alec settled down with his tea and began flipping channels. He knew Christian’s boss had high expectations for this employee mentoring program, but he also felt that Christian was being overworked. Of course, he was doing it to himself, wasn’t he? No one had specified how much time Christian needed to devote to the mentoring each week. However, Alec was so proud of how well Christian was doing he couldn’t bring himself to criticize him. Yet. If Christian wasn’t wrapping things up by the time he finished his tea, he might just crawl under the table and “motivate” him. He smiled at the thought and sipped his drink.