Saving Alexander by Susan Mac Nicol Page A

prickly all of a sudden. Alex knew he deserved it and he supposed miserably that Sage was getting tired of trying to make the effort with him, something he certainly couldn’t blame him for.
    The journey home in the taxi was quiet. Sage gazed out of the window into the darkness beyond, hardly speaking a word, answering Alex’s attempted efforts at conversation with staccato sentences and an air of complete disinterest.
    It was most unnerving given this man was usually one of the most gregarious people he knew. This dark mood of his was unfamiliar to Alex.
    They were stopped in front of the door to Alex’s apartment building. It was dark, quiet and the street was deserted. “Do you want to come in for coffee?” he asked quietly.
    Sage shook his head. “No thanks. I’m knackered and need to jump into bed. The taxi will drop me home.”
    Alex nodded, feeling a little awkward. “Well, thanks for the company.”
    Sage nodded, turning away. Alex hesitated, reaching out to touch his arm. Sage turned back and Alex reached over, kissing his cheek softly, hearing Sage’s slight hiss of breath at the unexpected gesture.
    “Please don’t give up on me,” Alex murmured, then left the cab and walked to his apartment as he heard the cab pull away.

Chapter 12
    Sage finally got back to his and Dan’s apartment feeling tired, fractious, horny and terribly confused. His black mood had risen, determined to take him over. It was like a fire blanket and he embraced its cold caress.
    The mixed signals he kept getting from Alex were hard to figure out. When Alex had been saying goodbye in the cab Sage had wanted nothing more than to pull him close and kiss him.
    He let himself into Dan’s apartment and came face to face with a woman, barely twenty-five years old he guessed, clad in nothing but a blue bra and a thong. She was extremely pretty, very curvy with long blonde hair, a pert nose and even perkier breasts.
    He stared at her, a little nonplussed. “Hi.” He watched her warily. “I’m Sage. I live here with Dan.”
    Her face cleared. “Oh. You’re his gay roommate. I’m Cherry.” She smiled. “My God, what a waste. But Bri is just going to love you.” Her eyes looked at him hungrily. Sage gazed at her in confusion.
    Who the hell was Bri?
    Sage simply nodded, skirting her carefully, moving over to his room. As he was about to go in, Dan came out of his own bedroom wearing just his boxers, with yet another woman on his arm. This one was totally naked, with dark, lustrous skin, long black hair and an oriental slant to her eyes. Dan saw Sage and waved an introduction.
    “Sage! Meet Akira and Cherry. They’re from the hotel down the road. They’re receptionists.” He drawled the word out languorously. “I’m glad you’re home. You’re later than I expected and your present is waiting in the lounge.” He chuckled, pulling Cherry closer to him.
    Sage shook his head, even more perplexed. “Dan, I’m very appreciative of the offer but I’ve had a crap evening. I’ve been at the hospital all night and I just want to get into bed. I’m not in the best of tempers I’m afraid, so I’d really be no fun.” He wondered with trepidation what the hell the present was in the lounge.
    Dan moved over to his friend. “God, I’m sorry. What happened?”
    Sage shook his head tiredly. “One of the cast—Dianne Cunningham—had an accident. She’s fine but it’s been a little stressful. I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow. I don’t want to put a downer on whatever you had planned.”
    He turned, forcing a smile at the two women. “Ladies, it’s been lovely meeting you both. Look after him and make sure he doesn’t eat after midnight. It drives him crazy.”
    He went into his bedroom. He undressed, dropping his clothes by the bed, going into his en-suite bathroom to shower. When he came out, he was once again on the back foot. Naked in his own room, Sage found himself with a long-limbed, highly aroused and very naked