Chapter 32
Aiden
“Do you have anything else planned for the night?” I ask as I join Julian in the suite’s kitchenette.
Please say no. Please say no. Please say no.
“No. Unfortunately, all my surprises are done,” he says, stirring his tea to help it brew. “We’re in for the rest of the night. Unless you want to go out?” He glances at me, curious.
“Nah, I’m good staying in,” I reply, then point over my shoulder. “How about I grab us something to eat before we settle in, and you try out that bath in the meantime?”
“The bath?” Julian echoes, but I can see his blue eyes sparkle with interest.
“Yes. The bath. You know—that massive thing you’ve been eyeing more than me since we got here?” I snort. “Go take advantage of it before our time runs out.”
Julian wavers a little like he might say no, so I tack on my kill shot. “I should probably mention that I left the water running for it.”
Protests abandoned, he snatches his mug and rushes off into the bathroom. I wait for the door to shut behind him, and the muffled sound of his clothes dropping, then head out of the suite.
I’m getting us something to eat like I promised, but it’s not exactly dinner. It’s step one of my attempt to treat Julian after all he’s done for me the last few days. It’s also maybe a way to calm our nerves before we mate tonight—if we mate tonight.
We’re supposed to, that’s the whole point of this trip. And yea, we both want it, but getting to that moment? Harder than it sounds. Do I just say it? Do I wait for Julian to? Hell if I know. What I do know is that I’m making tonight special, no matter how it ends.
My stash of goodies is waiting for me by the time I get to the reception. I grab the tray full of popcorn, both salted and sweet, Skittles, gummies, and Julian’s favourite, Pringles.
He’s still in the bath when I get back, so I set everything down on the low table in front of the massive TV in the suite’s lounge, and strip the bed of its duvet. I throw that on the couch along with some extra pillows and cue up the movie that owns Julian’s heart.
Then, I wait.
Such a gruelling task, Max half teases, but I know that by the strain in his voice, he wants nothing more than to forget this whole thing and climb into the bath with Julian instead. I won’t deny that.
We’ll get to all that later, I promise, but the reminder forces me to swallow down my sudden arousal. Maybe.
Not maybe. It’s for certain, Max says with conviction that’s not entirely made up of lust. I’m serious. I saw the way he looked at you today.
So did I. I thought I was imagining it at first when I caught him staring at me on the zip lines, but then we’d gotten on the ground, and there was no mistaking the warmth in his eyes when I had him in my arms.
Julian wants this, Max whispers. He wants you as much as you want him.
And Goddess knows I fucking want him. Desperately. But it’s more than that. I … I—
“That was amazing!” Julian groans as he saunters into the room with flushed skin and a smile big enough to light up the whole damn hotel. His damp hair frames his face, and in only his boxers and one of my shirts, he’s a physical test of my restraint.
“What’s all this?” he asks when he spots my surprise.
“How does a movie sound?” I toss the duvet back, making room for him.
His grin remains right where it is as he circles the couch and dives into the space beside me. “It depends on what movie.” He reaches for the remote, but I snatch it from him before he can ruin the surprise.
“Close your eyes,” I instruct, and his frown deepens as those blue eyes narrow with suspicion.
“Why?”
“Hells, Jewels. I don’t have porn loaded up. Just close them,” I tell him, and his already flaming cheeks deepen a shade before he finally gives in to my request.
With the target blinded, I slip from the couch to switch off the lights. The suite falls into darkness, but the lights from the valley shine like fireflies through the glass.
I pull Julian to me once I’m back on the couch, snuggling close until we’re a tangle of limbs with him curled against me. I hit play and wait for the title card to disappear. “Alright, you can open them.”
Jewels blinks his eyes open to focus on the screen, but mine remain on him. When the old Disney logo appears, his lips curl up at the corners, but it’s not until the music starts playing that his eyes bulge, and he sits up so quickly that he almost slams his head into my chin.
“Treasure Planet?!” he shouts, and I think that’s probably the first time I’ve ever heard Julian really yell.
Then he’s leaning down to thank me with hundreds of kisses, each one a shot of serotonin to my heart. I soak it all in, his joy, excitement, and disbelief, until Julian tucks himself back under my arm to watch his favourite movie.
Julian’s no kid, but he looks as innocent as one with the way he stares at the screen, all wide-eyed and open-mouthed.
He laughs at every joke and gasps at every landscape as if he’s never seen the movie.
I try to follow along, so I can understand exactly why it’s his favourite, but mostly I’m watching him watch it.
What I do catch is dumb and great all at once—space adventure with a kid chasing treasure across planets? Exactly the kind of shit Julian would worship. I can see little Jewels watching this on repeat and making it his holy grail.
I stay quiet, not wanting to ruin a second of it for him. I just watch along, loving his reactions, until the credits roll.
“I get why you love it so much,” I whisper, drawing his attention from the screen for the first time since it started. “You were mouthing the words, you know.”
“I was?” He covers his parted lips with his hands.
“Most of them,” I chuckle, pressing a kiss to his head before taking the mostly empty tray to the kitchen. “Don’t worry. It was cute.”
“That doesn’t help,” he grumbles behind his hand barrier. He looks mortified, but I really do think it was cute.
Julian stays poorly hidden in his embarrassment until I come back to him to pry his hands from his face. He cranes his head back to look at me.
“Are you really that embarrassed?” I ask as I lean over the back of the couch. “We’ve seen each other do worse.”
“Maybe,” he mumbles, brows relaxing. “More you than me, I guess.”
“And there he is,” I shoot back, grinning. “My Jewels is back.”
His eyes glow, seeming more white than blue as they sweep over me. He suddenly turns and pushes to his knees. The blanket slips from around his shoulders, pooling around his naked thighs, and it’s concerning how such a simple thing can make my mouth so dry.
“You look too good in my clothes,” I whisper, eyes raking down his body. He shifts on his knees, but doesn’t try to cover himself. “You look good in everything.” My hands find his waist, drawing him closer, and he laughs nervously.
“Thanks?” he replies as heat races to the tips of his ears.
I can hear his heart pounding as hard as mine. I wonder if he’s nervous too—if he wants this too, but doesn’t know how to say it. More than that, I wonder if he feels what burns in my heart stronger than anything else.
Lip curling between his teeth, Julian slides his hands up my arms, drawing himself up until his body is pressed to mine.
His eyes search mine, and I try to lay myself bare.
“This isn’t anything like I thought it would be.
” You. This bond. The heat. Being here. Being with you.
“The heat is supposed to intensify everything, especially the urge to touch. Right now, I want to touch you, and kiss you, and never let you go.” I whisper as I tuck his unruly hair behind his ear.
Julian shivers, but his eyes never leave mine.
“I feel all that,” I go on, “but watching you light up at that movie? That made me happier than every time we’ve given in to the heat.
“This whole weekend, seeing you happy …” I shake my head as a smile tugs at my lips. “I’ve wanted that a million times more than I’ve wanted your body.”
His eyes fill, crystal irises shining. Before the tears can slip free, he closes what’s left of the space between us and presses his lips to mine. His arms lock around my neck, pulling me in so that we’re close enough for our souls to shudder against each other.
I feel the tears against my cheeks as he kisses me. And it’s not desperate, it’s just … everything.
“I want to,” he whispers, sniffing as he pulls back.
I forget to breathe. “Want to what?” I ask, because I need him to be sure.
“I want to complete the mating bond,” he says with a smile so real, it makes my heart skip its next beat. “Right now. I want … I want you, Aiden.”
For a moment, I can’t move. I just stare at him, at that soft smile meant for me, and I pray to Goddess this isn’t a dream.
“Are you sure?” I ask, my voice hoarse.
“More than I’ll ever be.” His eyes hold mine. “Make love to me, Aiden.”
I lift him off the couch, and when his lips find mine again, it’s explosive. He takes me with tongue and teeth, without pause or hesitation.
His long legs wrap around my waist, and I gather him in my arms until every inch of him is pressed against me. It feels like everything I’ve ever needed.
I walk us towards the bedroom and don’t stop until my legs butt against the bed. I climb on with Julian still holding onto me, following his weight as he drags me down to the mattress.
I sink on top of him, arms braced beside him as he tilts his head, deepening the kiss. His moan tangles with mine, fingers sinking into my hair to pull me closer for more.
I give him more. I give him everything.
Our hearts hammer so hard, I feel each thump of his against my chest. But they’re in sync, like we’re already mated, our souls already tied.
It’s raw and dizzying, and all it does is fuel the deep-rooted hunger to make it our reality.
Julian breaks from me first, but his lips are quick to find my skin instead. He mouths my jaw, then my throat, until his lips trail over the spot aching for his mark.