Chapter 9
AIDEN
“ H ow did you get started in security? And why Hollywood?” I asked Alex as I sipped an après dinner espresso.
Since Alex was acting out of character and talking to us, I let my curiosity have free reign. Chances are he’d wake up tomorrow and revert to his usual stoic self.
He was being extra attentive to Jared today, and it made my normally unaffected heart warm.
Alex leaned back and rubbed a hand over his scruff. I met his blue eyes but found his stare far too distracting.
“I retired from the army four years ago. And I found myself at thirty, without a job or direction. I had a mate who’d moved to the US, and he suggested I work as a bodyguard for his company.
I could use my skills, but for better pay and less hazard.
Sunshine and warm weather sounded good to me.
He sold me the business a year ago when he moved back to Miami.
I grew up in London but always had wanderlust. Maybe someday I’ll move back to the UK, but for now, California’s home. ”
“And the rest of your family?” Jared asked.
“My parents live in Spain. Both retired from the army. I have a sister, Lucinda, who’s younger than me. She owns a bakery called Flour Power in London and works there with her husband. I go back and visit her and my two nephews when I can.”
“I know that place,” I blurted out. “It’s a few blocks from my firm. My assistant Lairin is always raving about their scones.”
Alex gave a small smile, a crooked grin that changed his whole face. I watched Jared’s reaction, and he looked totally enthralled at witnessing something very rare.
I was about to ask another question when Dylan opened the patio door and sauntered out onto the deck.
As usual, the movie star looked effortlessly cool in ripped jeans, a white t-shirt, and bare feet. His only accessory was his engagement ring.
“You guys mind if I join you?” he asked as he grabbed a chair.
“Not at all. You need to witness this historic event. We’re finally getting information out of Alex. It turns out, he really is human and not a cyborg after all,” I joked.
This time, I received two choice fingers from the man in question.
“Oh, this is good. C’mon, Alex, tell me your dirty secrets,” Dylan challenged as he rubbed his hands together. “Let’s start with your love life.”
Alex sighed and looked at Jared.
“Is he always this inquisitive?”
“Unfortunately, yes. If Dylan wasn’t a great actor, he’d make a fantastic tabloid reporter,” Jared replied.
“Hey! I’m insulted,” Dylan responded with a dramatic hand to his chest. “I just like knowing what’s going on around me. I like to be well informed.”
“He’s a nosy bugger. And so am I. Tell us, Alex.”
Alex rolled his eyes as he reached for his coffee. After taking a long sip, he sighed.
“Not much to tell. I’m gay?—”
“I knew it!” Jared declared.
“Thank fuck! Queer men everywhere are rejoicing,” I quipped.
Dylan agreed by clapping.
“You lot are painful to listen to,” Alex replied, pursing his lips like he was trying not to laugh.
“And there’s not much else to say. I didn’t come out until after I retired from the army.
I’ve only had one serious relationship, four years ago.
But he had a difficult time dealing with the hours of my job and my service-related health issues.
And I found out that he was cheating on me, so after a year, it was over.
Before that, there was…someone I cared for. But I can’t talk about him.”
Alex’s expression morphed back to his usual scowl, and the table went quiet.
“And now I just do the casual thing. When I have time,” Alex continued, breaking the awkwardness.
“I’m with you. Relationships aren’t worth the hassle. No offense, Dylan,” I offered.
“You guys don’t know what you’re missing. Max and I—” Dylan paused, his green eyes turning wistful as he leaned forward. “It’s so amazing. Casual sex is fine, but there’s nothing like having a partner you connect with on a deeper level. It makes everything more intense, like?—”
“All right, that’s enough of that. I’m getting a toothache just listening to you,” I quipped, and Dylan chuckled.
“For once, I agree with Aiden. Stop making me envious, Dylan,” Jared grumbled.
“You just wait, your day will come,” Dylan pointed at Jared. “And when it does, I’m going to so enjoy watching you make an ass of yourself over your guys.”
“Dylan,” Jared warned.
“Hold up,” I said and leaned forward. Dylan’s face flushed. “Why did you say guys, plural?”
“Did I say that? A slip of the tongue. My mistake,” Dylan rambled then bit his lip.
I let it go for now, but I would circle back to it at some point.
Mistake, my arse.
Dylan looked at Jared, like he knew a secret. What did he know that I didn’t?
“What about you, Aiden?” Jared asked.
“What about me?”
“Tell us something we don’t know about you,” Dylan encouraged. He poured himself a glass of water and took a long sip.
“I’m a strict top. I like the control.”
Dylan choked on his water and coughed up half of it on the table.
“I guess I had that one coming,” Dylan muttered as he wiped up the table with a napkin. Jared and Alex laughed.
“I’m also bilingual,” I responded in a rare moment of amenability. “I’m fluent in Italian. My mum is half Italian, and she passed on her love for the language and culture to me.”
“Say something in Italian,” Dylan urged.
“Sei una pigna in culo,” I pronounced.
For the first time ever, Alex barked out a deep laugh that echoed in the humid air.
The sound had everyone at the table stunned to silence, me included.
“You understand Italian?” Jared asked Alex.
“Yes, and Spanish and some Farsi as well,” he responded. “And a few words in Thai.”
“What did Aiden say?” Dylan demanded. “What’s so damn funny?”
“Yeah,” Jared seconded. “Let us in on the joke.”
“The verbiage can be taken two ways,” Alex explained. “Either ‘you’re a pain in the arse’ or ‘you’re an arsehole.’ Either way, arse is involved.”
“As it should be,” I commented. “Arse is critical, and without it, life is meaningless.”
Everyone murmured their agreement.
“I’m not great with languages. Do you think you could write that one down for me, Aiden? Then I’ll have something to say the next time I see Max’s ex.”
Dylan chuckled darkly.
“Isn’t Dante Italian?”
“Oh yeah, I forgot. Damn.” Dylan shook his head. “Alex, teach me something in Farsi. I know Dante doesn’t speak that.”
“The insults in foreign languages tutoring can start later,” I stated and turned to the golden-eyed director. “Now it’s Jared’s turn. Tell us something that no one else knows about you. Something you feel comfortable revealing.”
Jared tucked a piece of his dark hair behind his ear and then ran his fingers over his jaw. He’d let his scruff grow in a bit and it suited him. Hell, he could style himself any way he wanted, and he’d still be gorgeous.
He’s your client. Don’t think of him like that.
“Okay, well,” Jared paused. “I don’t know if I want to have children of my own.”
What?
“Really?” Dylan commented.
I guess I wasn’t the only one surprised at Jared’s statement. I glanced at Alex, who hadn’t reacted except to bite his lip.
“For a few reasons,” Jared continued. “My mom died because of her addiction, and I’ve struggled too.
I’m concerned about possibly passing that on.
But I’m not sure that I’d say no to adopting.
Even though I still have concerns. I grew up in the foster system, and my experience wasn’t good.
So it’s not like I’ve had positive parental role models.
And being in the public eye is another factor to consider. ”
“It ain’t easy for guys like us in the media spotlight.
But still, the heart wants what the heart wants.
I guess that leaves me to reveal something,” Dylan confessed with a small smile.
“Speaking of kids, Max and I are going the adoption route ourselves to grow our family. We’ve already filled out the paperwork, and now we’re waiting for a match. ”
“Oh my God! I’m so happy for you and Max!” Jared exclaimed as he stood up and walked around the table to give Dylan a hug.
Alex and I both got up and did the same, offering congratulations.
“Any other revelations or confessions while we’re all gathered here tonight? And by the way, what we discuss on deck stays between us,” I reminded them.
“Of course,” Alex muttered
“Duh,” Dylan smirked.
“Or I can bring out the NDAs,” I joked.
Jared threw a napkin at me.
“You’re not done yet, Aiden. Telling us that you like to top, and you speak Italian isn’t enough. I mean, it’s hot, but we’re looking for something deeper,” Jared insisted.
“Deeper is always better,” I teased.
“Puns aside, give us somethin’ good,” Dylan clapped his hands together.
I held my hands up and relented. “Okay, if you insist. But this can’t go beyond the four of us. I mean it. I will speak of this once and never again, and if you bring it up, I will deny it.”
“Out with it,” Jared insisted, leaning forward.
“Believe it or not, there was a time when I fell in love. Or what I thought was love.”
Everyone groaned.
“It has to be real, Aiden, not made up,” Dylan complained.
I nodded. “It’s true. When I was twenty-five and a newly minted barrister, I fell hopelessly in love with a partner at my first firm. A married partner?—”
“Juicy,” Dylan whispered and elbowed Jared.
“Can I tell my story?” I asked, then continued.
“This partner was a brilliant man, my idol, my mentor. I revered him. And when he chose me to help him on a high-profile workplace wrongful dismissal case, I was thrilled. Naturally, we spent long hours together. After a few weeks he made it clear that he didn’t just respect my work but that he wanted me.
And by that time, I was already in love with him.
Despite my better judgement, we had an affair. ”
I sat back and looked around the table.
“That’s it.”
“What happened?” Jared asked.
“I’m here with you now, what do you think happened? He wouldn’t leave his wife. I was a silly twat. After six months, I left the firm. Now I shag random men. The end.”
“Good thing you’re a lawyer and not a filmmaker. Your storytelling needs work,” Jared stated.
He regarded me with such intensity I struggled not to flinch.
“He told me I was a bit of fun, and that he could never leave her. He loved her, not me. He broke my heart. And now it’s permanently mummified. Thank God,” I finished.
Jared leaned forward. “I never would have guessed, but that explains so much.”
“Yes, well, it’s all in the past,” I offered, suddenly sweating despite the cool evening air.
I turned to Alex, who had been all but silent.
His blue eyes glittered with an emotion I couldn’t name. It was like he could read exactly how I was feeling.
I hated being vulnerable to anyone.
Still, it was difficult for me to look anywhere else.
“Man, I’m so glad I decided to crash your party. Tonight has been one hell of a revelation,” Dylan remarked.
I couldn’t argue with that.