The sound of running water wasn’t enough to drown out the sounds Alex made.  They were sweet yet sexy, which was most likely a byproduct of the young man’s long life of abuse.  Being taught and conditioned to let things happen… the body and mind learning that the best defense was to encourage desire instead of anger, that was common enough.  Thinking like that was irritating, though.  Andreas didn’t want to believe that he couldn’t elicit a real reaction all on his own.<br/><br/>He dropped the shirt, pausing then to observe the way those slender arms folded to protect Alex’s chest.  That would’ve kept them out of the way as he moved on to the next item of clothing, but he disapproved of the reason behind that shy gesture.<br/><br/>“It’s okay,” he tried to soothe, reaching around to encase Alex in a warm hug.  Then he began trying to coax those arms down.  “I’ve been worse, I promise.  Don’t hide yourself from me.”