Chapter Twenty-Four
The Aegean wind carried salt and warmth as Lamont watched Ewen step onto the villa’s terrace.
His mate wore nothing but a pair of swim trunks that clung to his thighs, the late afternoon sun turning his skin golden.
Ewen stretched his arms to the sky, arching his back like a cat, and Lamont’s breath caught.
“Come here,” Lamont said, his voice coming out rougher than intended.
Ewen turned, one eyebrow lifting. “Why? I thought we were going swimming. We have all evening.”
“We have all forever.” Lamont crossed the space between them in three strides, his hands finding Ewen’s waist. “But right now, I want to show you something.”
“The view?” Ewen glanced toward the horizon where the sea met the sky in a haze of blue. “It’s definitely beautiful here.”
Lamont chuckled, low and dark. “We’ll spend time appreciating the view…later.” He dipped his head, nipping at Ewen’s collarbone. “Right now, I want to show you how much I adore you. Remember, step two of our plan?”
Ewen’s breath hitched. His fingers curled into Lamont’s shoulders. “I’m on board with that plan.”
The bedroom was cool and dim, the heavy drapes drawn against the afternoon heat.
Lamont backed Ewen against the nearest wall, his mouth crashing down in a kiss that was a mass of teeth and tongue.
The danger was over, Ewen’s article was done, and now Lamont had all the time, and Ewen’s attention, to let him know how much he was wanted.
Ewen moaned into the kiss, his body melting against Lamont’s as their chests pressed together.
Lamont broke the kiss just long enough to whisper, “Tell me what you want.”
Ewen’s laugh was breathless. “Since when do you need instructions?”
“Since I want to hear you say it.” Lamont’s hands slid down, thumbs hooking into the waistband of Ewen’s trunks. “Tell me how you want me to worship you.”
Ewen’s pupils blew wide. His voice dropped to a rasp. “On your knees.”
Lamont went down, the marble floor cool beneath his bare knees. He looked up at his mate - all sharp angles and flushed skin - and knew he’d happily get on his knees for his mate any time he was asked.
Mine... Time... We have the time now. His hands mapped every inch of Ewen’s body - the dip of his waist, the slight flare of his hips, the way his thighs trembled when Lamont’s fingers traced the inside seam.
He pressed his face against the soft cotton of Ewen’s trunks, inhaling the scent of salt, sun, and mate before tugging the fabric down with his teeth.
Ewen’s cock was already hard, flushed dark at the tip.
Lamont wrapped one hand around the base, his thumb stroking the vein that pulsed beneath the skin.
He didn’t take him in his mouth - not yet.
Instead, he nuzzled the heavy weight, breathing hot air over the sensitive flesh until Ewen’s fingers tangled in his hair.
“Lamont, please…”
The begging was what undid him.
Lamont took him deep, hollowing his cheeks as he swallowed around the thick length. Ewen’s cry was raw, his hips jerking forward before he caught himself, his hands pressing against the wall for balance.
“Fuck.”
Lamont hummed in agreement, the vibration making Ewen’s thighs lock. He pulled off just enough to murmur, “You taste like heaven,” before taking him back down, his free hand cupping Ewen’s ass to hold him steady.
Ewen’s breaths came in sharp gasps, his body tightening like a bowstring. Lamont could feel the moment he teetered on the edge - could taste the salt of precome on his tongue - and he pulled back, letting Ewen’s cock slip from his lips with a slurp.
Ewen whined, his hips chasing the loss. “Why’d you stop?”
“Because I want you coming on my cock, not down my throat.” Lamont surged to his feet, capturing Ewen’s mouth in another bruising kiss. He walked him backward until the backs of Ewen’s knees hit the bed, then tumbled them both onto the mattress.
Ewen landed with a laugh, but it turned into a groan as Lamont settled between his thighs, their erections sliding together. “You’re insatiable.”
Lamont rolled his hips, the friction making them both gasp. “Only for you.”
He didn’t need lube. His fingers were slick from just a thought. He pressed one finger against Ewen’s entrance. His mate was already relaxed from the blowjob, and his body welcomed the intrusion.
“More,” Ewen demanded, his nails digging into Lamont’s shoulders. “I need you.”
Lamont didn’t make him wait.
He slicked himself quickly, positioning his cock at Ewen’s entrance. Their eyes locked as he pushed in. He went slowly, moving inch by inch, watching Ewen’s face for any sign of discomfort. But there was only pleasure. Ewen’s lips parted on a sigh as he took Lamont to the hilt.
“Yes,” Ewen breathed.
Lamont started to move.
It wasn’t fast. It wasn’t rough. It was loving on a man who meant everything to him.
Long, deep strokes that had Ewen arching off the bed, his hands gripping Lamont’s biceps like vices.
Lamont bent his head, capturing one of Ewen’s nipples between his teeth, biting just enough to make his mate cry out.
“Lamont…please.”
“Tell me,” Lamont growled against his skin. “Tell me what you need.”
Ewen’s voice was a ragged whisper. “Harder. Faster. I need…”
Lamont gave it to him.
He snapped his hips, driving into Ewen with a force that had the headboard knocking against the wall. Ewen’s legs wrapped around his waist, heels digging into his ass as he met every thrust, their bodies moving in perfect sync.
The room filled with the sounds of skin slapping skin, with Ewen’s broken moans and Lamont’s guttural curses. Lamont reached between them, wrapping his hand around Ewen’s cock, stroking in time with his thrusts.
Ewen came with a cry, his body clamping down around Lamont so tightly it sent him over the edge. He buried his face in Ewen’s neck as he spilled inside him, his hips stuttering through the last waves of pleasure.
For a long moment, neither of them moved.
Then Ewen’s fingers carded through Lamont’s hair, his voice soft. “You’re heavy, you know.”
Lamont huffed a laugh, pressing a kiss to his mate’s shoulder before rolling to the side. He pulled Ewen with him, tucking him against his chest. “Better?”
“Much.” Ewen sighed, his body boneless. “Though I’m not sure I can move.”
Lamont grinned, kissing the top of his head. “Good. That means you can’t get away. I’m not done with you yet.”
/~/~/~/~/
They dozed together as the afternoon stretched toward evening, wrapped in each other and the warm Mediterranean air that drifted through the open windows.
When Lamont finally stirred, the sun had begun its descent toward the horizon, painting the sky in shades of amber and rose that reflected off the waters in brilliant streaks of gold.
“Come on,” he murmured against Ewen’s shoulder. “There’s something I want to show you.”
He wrapped Ewen in one of the villa’s blankets despite his mate’s protests that it was warm enough without it, then guided him back out to the terrace where he’d set up cushions and pillows earlier in a nest facing west toward the sea.
Lamont settled into the pillows and hugged Ewen to his chest, arranging the blanket around them both.
The sun hung above the horizon like a burning jewel, turning the sea into liquid fire.
The few clouds scattered across the sky had gone crimson and violet, and behind them, Lamont knew the white buildings of Santorini would all be glowing rose-gold in the fading light.
His chest ached, not with sadness, but with the understanding that this was a perfect moment, one that would be etched into his memory for the rest of time.
“I’ve watched the sun set thousands of times,” Lamont said quietly, his chin resting on top of Ewen’s head.
“I’ve watched it from deserts, mountains, and oceans, from huge cities and tiny villages.
I’ve seen it set over places that don’t even exist anymore - the sun always manages to put on a show, even on the darkest days. ”
Ewen said nothing, but his hand found Lamont’s where it rested against his stomach, their fingers threading together beneath the blanket.
“And with every single one of those sunsets, I felt alone,” Lamont continued.
“It’s not like I could say anything. I had my pack, my brothers, but we were all scattered across the globe.
I was often surrounded by people, but I couldn’t feel anything inside for any of them.
They were friends, acquaintances, but none of them was someone I could confess my loneliness to.
“Don’t get me wrong” - he pressed a quick kiss to Ewen’s head - “I know how blessed I’ve been through my existence, and I’ve had a lot of fun in my life.
I had my work, my research, my investigations.
But I didn’t have this - someone to share the beauty of a sunset with, someone whose presence makes the colors brighter and the moment mean so much more beyond another day ending. ”
The sun dipped lower, touching the edge of the sea, and the entire sky seemed to glow. Ewen’s fingers tightened around his, and through their bond, Lamont felt his mate’s throat close with emotion.
“I stopped looking at sunsets for a while,” Lamont admitted.
“A few centuries ago, actually. They started to feel like a reminder of everything I didn’t have, of the collar box that would never open, of the mate I’d never find.
It seemed easier to just focus on work, on history, on things that didn’t require hoping for something that might never come. ”
“Lamont…”
“Let me finish, hon.” He breathed in the scent of his mate. “I’m telling you this because I want you to understand how special this is. This sunset. This moment. You.”
The sun slipped lower, half-vanished now beneath the horizon, and the entire world seemed to hold its breath in the space between day and night. The colors deepened, and grew richer, and the first stars began to appear in the darkening sky above.