Chapter 11
ALEX
S pending the day with Jared and Aiden was a bad idea.
Being anywhere close to a nearly naked Jared was worse. My usual reserve was gone, the past few days annihilating the professional line I stuck to.
Before, I would have avoided looking at him, but now? Now my eyes saw nothing else.
His long, smooth body was perfection, and his arse? Fuck, his arse was made to be worshipped.
And I was the man for the job.
And one more.
Aiden stripped down to his navy speedo, and that’s when I knew I was truly fucked.
Unlike Jared, Aiden was broad, with a hairy chest and big biceps. He wasn’t ripped, but he had natural definition that was sexy to me.
He glanced up and caught my stare.
Instead of doing the smart thing and looking away, I swallowed hard and met his gaze head on.
I swear a bolt of electricity passed through my body like lightning.
He licked his lips and smiled at me. He knew.
Did he know how I felt about Jared too? Aiden seemed to have the same reaction to Jared’s reveal, and not for the first time I wondered what would happen if all three of us…
No, that would be ludicrous. And disastrous.
We had to work together for the foreseeable future, and adding sex to the mix would only fuck things up.
I’d venture into Bangkok one night and find a willing partner at a club, release my frustrations, and let go of these stupid feelings that kept getting more intense as time went on. One man was bad enough, but two of them?
As hot as a threesome would be, I needed to start using my head. And not the one in my shorts.
Now I just had to figure out how I would walk around today with my erection threatening to break free.
“I’m going down to the beach,” I told Kiernan as he and Charlie got settled on loungers by the pool. “Kiernan, keep an eye.”
He nodded and I kept walking, grabbing a towel from the pile near the hot tub and ignoring the stares of Aiden and Jared that burned into my back.
Instead of torturing myself, I walked down the stairs to the pathway that led directly to the beach.
And I had to admit that the villa and the private beach were beautiful. Silky sand met clear water. The only sound was the gentle lap of the waves hitting the sand and the echo of birdsong.
There was no one else in sight. The small, secluded bay was deserted.
And a dunk in the ocean to cool off was desperately needed.
What the bloody hell was wrong with me? I’d seen plenty of naked and near-naked men in my life.
But seeing Jared’s supple body in that tiny piece of Lycra, I finally admitted to myself that I wanted that arse. Fuck I wanted him, more than I cared to admit.
I toed off my trainers and threw down my towel. Then I dropped off my backpack, removed my t-shirt and sunglasses, and carefully placed them on the towel. My board shorts were far too tight, but a dunk in the water would fix things.
The sun felt so good.
Even though I lived in a place with sunshine year-round, I never went to the beach in California. The waves were too big, the water was too cold, and there were too many people.
I preferred the beaches in Spain, like Costa Blanca, where my parents resided. And places like this.
I walked down and, when my toes touched the water, I was all in.
It was like a warm bath and the surf was gentle, perfect for swimming. I walked out until I was waist-deep and then dove in.
I swam the length of the bay and then floated for a while, letting myself relax for a rare moment. Then I heard splashing and reluctantly stood up.
Aiden and Jared had wandered down and were now making their way into the water to join me.
Both men were so beautiful that I almost couldn’t bear to watch them. Still waist-deep, my erection began to throb again, and I cursed myself.
Why them? Why now? Where was my usual iron-clad control?
That fucking dinner.
Ever since I’d opened myself up, I felt a shift.
It wasn’t just sexual, either. I wanted to be with them. To let them in. To lean on them and have them lean on me.
And that was the scariest revelation of all. It just couldn’t be.
They ran into the water, trying to outrace the other.
I didn’t think of Jared as highly competitive, but apparently, I didn’t know everything about the director like I’d thought.
“No way you’ll catch me, Shorty, my legs are longer,” Aiden yelled.
“Shorty, my ass. I’m only two inches shorter than you,” Jared clapped back as they tumbled into the water, shoving each other playfully.
I should’ve walked away from temptation.
My feet wouldn’t move.
I turned away from the beach to face the horizon instead.
Big mistake.
Suddenly both my legs were pulled, and I was dragged under the water.
When I finally broke free, I popped back up out of the water to face a smiling Jared, his long hair slicked back and his eyes bright. I was so happy to see him finally at ease that I couldn’t help but return the grin.
Until strong hands grabbed my shoulders, and I was dunked under the water again.
I turned and wrapped my arms around Aiden, hauling him up and over my shoulder.
“Holy fuck!” Aiden yelled as I flipped him over and he hit the water with a resounding smack.
The resulting splash hit Jared as well.
“Don’t try to get the drop on me, I’m trained for sneak attacks,” I chuckled as I wiped the salt water from my eyes.
Aiden shook his head, standing up, water sluicing over his shoulders and down his chest. He said nothing, just stared at me.
I looked at Jared, and he was watching Aiden with curious eyes.
“Are you okay?” I asked, suddenly concerned at Aiden’s silence.
“Yes,” he replied, his voice hoarse. “I’m thoroughly impressed by your strength. You can flip me anytime.”
My dirty mind went right to flip fucking and yes, my dick liked that image a whole lot.
“How about a friendly competition?” I asked, changing the subject, trying to get myself under control. “Swim to the end of the beach and back. Loser buys dinner.”
Aiden clapped his hands and nodded. “You’re on. Jared?”
“No thanks,” he replied. “I’m going to go relax and lie in the sun.”
I looked around and noticed Kiernan was now sitting on the beach. Good. Even though we were the only ones out here, I didn’t like to take my eyes off Jared.
Okay, that sounded weird, but it was true. I couldn’t let my guard down, no matter how much I wanted to. His protection always came first.
I watched Jared walk out of the ocean and nearly swallowed my tongue.
I wanted to lick every drop of water off his spectacular body. Fuck, I wanted to bury my face in that tight arse and eat him out until he was screaming my name.
I felt Aiden’s hand slide up my back and I fought to control a shudder.
“I don’t blame you,” Aiden whispered.
Had I spoken my thoughts out loud?
Jesus Christ.
My face heated and I shook my head.
“I’ve just been out in the sun too long. Celibacy doesn’t help either,” I confessed, turning to Aiden. Our legs tangled up, but I reared back, breaking off contact.
“Maybe you should do something about it,” he teased as he cocked his head, his lips pursed in a flirty grin.
“I will. When we head back to Bangkok, I’ll find an eager stranger to get rid of my frustration.”
Aiden shook his head. “Stop fighting it. You want him and he feels the same. It’s clear to everyone but you.”
“It’s not that simple, for Christ’s sake. I work for him. My duty is to look after him, not fuck him,” I whispered angrily.
“Maybe he’d like to fuck you,” Aiden replied. “Maybe I would too.”
I shuddered and turned away. “We can’t. I can’t. Please don’t bring it up again.”
My response was met with silence. Fuck, this kind of awkwardness was exactly what I was hoping to avoid.
“Are we still racing?” Aiden finally asked, breaking the tension.
“Of course,” I replied.
Aiden took off, cutting through the water with remarkable speed.
“We didn’t start at the same time. Wanker!” I yelled out and followed him.
I was a good swimmer; not fast, but I had endurance.
Aiden, on the other hand, looked like a fucking Olympian with his impressive freestyle. I had a hard time catching up, and when I did, he’d pull ahead again.
He reached the end of the bay before me and stood at the edge of the water watching me. Cheeky bugger.
“You had a head start, cheater,” I panted as I got out of the water.
“Don’t be a sore loser, baby. I still would have won.”
I ignored his ridiculous attempt at flirting and finally nodded, hands on my hips. “You’ve got excellent form. I’m impressed.”
“I’m glad you noticed,” he replied and gave me a once-over. “I like yours too.”
For the first time in years, I blushed at a compliment.
I worked out every day, but I did it to remain agile, to do my job.
I didn’t do it to get attention or to impress the men I fucked.
I rarely got naked in front of anyone. Most of my scars were carefully camouflaged with tattoos, but they weren’t totally hidden. And with scars came questions about their origins. Too personal, too painful.
And yet, I didn’t mind Aiden and Jared seeing me, all of me. I trusted them. But I didn’t entirely trust my feelings.
I bit my lip. “Why don’t you take Jared out to dinner instead? Just the two of you. I think he’d like that.”
Maybe if the two of them hooked up, I’d be able to let go of these crazy emotions that had nowhere to go.
He furrowed his brow and stared at me. “No. I won the bet. You take me and Jared out tonight. Both of us.”
“And Charlie and Kiernan,” I interrupted.
“In this instance, yes. But another night, let’s make it just the three of us.”
“That’s not a good idea.”
I shook my head.
“Are you forgetting why I’m here? I know I like to tease, but Jared needs your friendship now more than anything. In a month’s time, Seuter’s lawyers are going to tear into him. And it will be one of the most difficult things he’s ever faced. He needs you. Are you really going to let him down?”
Aiden was so passionate, my chest tightened in response.
“No, of course not,” I finally managed to reply, not looking at him.
Aiden gripped my neck, and the searing touch had my heart racing. I glanced up, our gazes clashing. I could hardly breathe.
“I promise. I’ll do whatever it takes to ensure he’s okay.”
Even if I fucked myself over in the process, I would do it.
Jared was worth it.