Chapter 28
ALEX
TWO DAYS LATER
J ared’s filming resumed, and a good thing too.
His work grounded him, and he didn’t want Haley’s bombshell to ruin the rest of the project. After filming the remaining island scenes, we were on our way back to Bangkok.
Being on the ship was amazing for privacy, but we were all getting a bit stir-crazy.
After today’s filming, Aiden and I were taking Jared and our friends out to a restaurant and then dancing. With Haley behind bars, I finally felt comfortable letting Jared have some freedom of movement.
Kiernan was still his security lead, and an extra set of eyes—and hands—was welcome.
We’d invited Charlie, Rafe, George, as well as Dylan to join us at the club. I’d found a gay bar and booked a VIP room, so it promised to be interesting. A security nightmare? Possibly. With six bodyguards, we should be okay.
“Are you excited about tonight?” I asked Jared as we got dressed for dinner.
He’d slipped on a sexy black jumpsuit, tying his hair up in a messy bun.
He’d forgone makeup since we’d arrived in Thailand, but tonight he’d decided to go all out, and I was a fan.
The dark shadow and eyeliner drew attention to his luminous eyes.
He stood in front of the full-length mirror in his bedroom, adding the final touches to his face: a slick of gloss to his lips.
Just when I thought he couldn’t get any sexier…
I slid my arms around his waist and drew him in tightly, watching his expression.
“I am. Not that I’m not happy being here, but I think we need a bit of escapism. Are you going to dance with me later?” he asked.
“Dancing? Ah, I don’t know. I’ll grind up against you, how about that?”
“That’s what I meant,” Jared laughed.
Aiden came out of the bathroom dressed in a stylish pair of tight shorts and a long sleeve navy linen shirt. With a fresh shave and his hair styled, our man was looking good.
“I’m with the two hottest men on the planet. How the fuck did I get so lucky?” I squeezed Jared tighter.
“No more compliments, or Jared will glow in the dark. As it is, his smile is bright enough to light up the entire city,” Aiden quipped as he drew close to us.
Aiden stood behind me, wrapping us up in his arms. His wide grin contradicted his teasing words.
“You love my smile,” Jared countered.
“I love you,” Aiden whispered, his expression intense as he gazed at our reflections.
Jared’s eyes welled up and threatened to spill over. Mine followed.
I felt Jared tremble. Or was that me?
“I love you too,” Jared’s breath hitched. “I love both of you so fucking much. Some days I can’t believe this is really happening.”
“Believe it,” I whispered and kissed his neck. “I never thought I’d ever fall in love again, but I’m so bloody happy. I love you both, and there’s nothing I won’t do to protect us.”
Then I turned my head to kiss Aiden. His lips were soft, the kiss long and languid.
“Christ, what you guys are doing to me? Now all my makeup’s running,” Jared teased as he wiped his eyes.
“You have time to fix your face, luv,” Aiden replied gently.
“I just couldn’t go another minute without telling you how I feel.
I can’t promise things will be perfect from here on out.
Have patience with me. I’ll probably make mistakes, but know that it has nothing to do with you and everything to do with me.
But I promise you this. I will be the man you both deserve.
The man who loves you without question.”
There were more tears and sniffling and hugs and kisses. Lots of kisses.
“Do we have to go out?” Jared asked.
Aiden chuckled. “Yes, we need to celebrate. Don’t you agree?”
Ten minutes later, we were ready and headed out to join the others on the lower deck.
The ship was docked in the port again, so Charlie arranged for rental vans for our evening out. Since I rarely drank alcohol, I volunteered to drive one of them.
The only thing that disappointed me was that Jared and Aiden and I couldn’t hold hands or be affectionate in public. And after exchanging our heartfelt promises, it was going to be difficult to keep ourselves in check.
Like the loud, motley crew that we were, we piled into the two vans.
I slipped into the driver’s seat. Once everyone was buckled in, I drove us out of the parking lot and followed the exit signs to the main road.
Aiden and Jared were sitting beside each other in the back seat, along with Dylan. Rafe, George, and Kiernan were in the seat behind them. Charlie sat beside me. The remaining bodyguards were in a separate vehicle, following.
“You guys are quiet, is everything okay?” Rafe asked.
“Great. More than great,” Jared smiled, and I glanced at him in the rearview mirror and winked.
Then Jared sighed. “It just sucks that we can’t be open about our relationship yet.”
“Judging by the way Aiden’s hand is rubbing your thigh, I wouldn’t say that’s true,” Dylan joked.
Aiden whacked Dylan playfully on the back of the head.
“Hey, hands off the hair, man!” Dylan yelled and retaliated in kind.
Grown men acting like unruly teenagers…
“Behave or I’ll be forced to intervene,” I warned with my standard scowl in place.
I was out of practice. I’d had no reason to be grumpy lately.
I glanced up at the mirror again and caught Aiden’s eyes. I couldn’t help the dirty grin that graced my face. Suddenly, the car was stifling despite the air conditioning.
“You’re right, Jared, that bossy tone is hot,” Rafe quipped. “Not as hot as my man, of course, but still.”
Everyone groaned.
“Okay,” Aiden clapped his hands together. “Rule 1 of the night: no PDA. If we can’t, you can’t.”
“Ooh, yes. Sweetheart, let’s pretend we hate each other, like when we first met,” Rafe said to George.
“Are you going to spill red wine on me again? If so, I should probably go back and change into a dark shirt,” George responded.
“I’ll have white this time.”
“How far is this restaurant?” Dylan asked. “I’m starving.”
“You’re always starving. And we’ll be there in ten minutes,” I replied as we headed into the heart of Bangkok.
The streets were packed with cars, motorcycles, bikes, and the occasional dog running in and out of traffic.
It was loud and boisterous, much like the interior of our vehicle.
I focused on the road while Aiden and Dylan continued to pass jokes and sarcastic comments back and forth like a tennis match.
Rafe and George were quiet and when I glanced at the mirror, I realized why.
So much for the no-PDA rule. I guess they were getting all the touching and kissing in before they got out of the van.
I pulled into a public parking lot around the corner from the restaurant and waited for the rest of my crew in the second vehicle.
Then all twelve of us headed for the restaurant, a place recommended to us by the translator who worked on set.
The humidity of the past several weeks was still hanging heavy over the city, and despite the short walk, I was already sweating through my shirt.
Our restaurant for the night was located on the twentieth floor of one of the newest buildings in the city.
With a panoramic view of Bangkok and an outdoor bar, the resto was already packed at just after eight. I noticed a few heads turning and phones pointing our way when Dylan walked by.
Thankfully, I’d reserved a private room. And it did not disappoint.
With floor to ceiling windows, we enjoyed a view of the downtown skyline, lit up like a thousand glittering jewels.
After everyone found their seat, George tapped on his glass and stood up.
“I want to thank Alex for organizing this evening and inviting us to join. I think we all need a night of fun with our friends. Jared gave us a bad scare last week, but thankfully he has recovered quickly. And I speak for my husband and my crew when I say that I wish everyone health and happiness. Cheers!”
“Hear, hear!”
Everyone cheered and clinked glasses.
Rafe and George split a bottle of wine, but the rest of us stuck to sparkling water.
Jared had assured us that he was okay if we wanted to have a drink, but alcohol didn’t suit me. With my depression, I avoided it. And I was driving tonight.
Aiden sometimes enjoyed a glass of scotch in the evening, but he hadn’t touched it in the last while.
Neither of us wanted to do anything that might impact Jared’s sobriety. Our partner’s well-being came first.
We were a boisterous bunch for the restaurant staff to manage, but the laughter, and the food, kept coming.
We enjoyed platters of fried shrimp in a chili sauce, fresh and spicy som tum, a mango salad to cool things down, and a pad thai that everyone at the table was fighting over. The server suggested we also try the khanom mor kaeng, a custard-like dessert made with coconut milk, to round things out.
Two hours later and with overstuffed bellies, we left the restaurant and walked over to the club.
The venue wasn’t as big as the ones Jared frequently in L.A., but they did have lots of security, which put me at ease. There were quite a few tourists as well as locals, and no one seemed to pay any particular attention to us, which was a relief.
The VIP rooms were built around the perimeter, which gave us privacy and a view to what was going on around us.
Rafe, Jared, and Charlie were the first to hit the dance floor, followed by Dylan, Aiden, and Kiernan.
Xavier was lead tonight, and Kiernan had the night off.
For a big guy, Kiernan had smooth dance moves. Lots of singles and couples tried to get his attention, but he waved them off.
Then he and Charlie got into a dance-off that drew interested stares.
I stood back with George, keeping a careful eye on my men.
“Jared’s doing much better this week. Tonight’s been good for him,” George yelled over the noise.
I nodded. “He’s doing great. He recovered quickly, but the news about his assistant was still a shock. It’ll take a while for us to deal with it.”
“No doubt. But he’s got good support. You three are quite formidable together. I have to say, Aiden shocked me most of all. Never in a million years did I imagine that he would fall in love.”
My body jolted. It was one thing for the three of us to acknowledge our feelings in private, but for others to recognize it?
“You think he’s in love?”
“Oh yes. The way he looks at you and Jared. Unmistakable.”
I glanced over and sure enough, George was right.
Aiden was dancing with Jared, trying to keep his moves PG and failing miserably.
And both of them were staring at me with such heat in their eyes that I reached for the neckline of my shirt.
“I think they’re looking for their third,” George teased me.
I shook my head. “We have to be careful.”
“At least you have the sanctity of Now, Voyager .”
“There is something special about that ship,” I confessed.
“I would agree. And I see my husband motioning for me to join him,” George replied and stood up. “Excuse me.”
George walked over and joined Rafe, pulling him into his arms and leading him around the dance floor. Rafe’s laughter could be heard above the din, and I wondered, not for the first time, how it would feel to be like that.
To be able to hold Jared’s hand in public.
To kiss Aiden whenever I felt like it.
Free to be ourselves.
One day soon that was going to be us. Once Jared’s case was over. There was a lot we had to talk about and plan for.
Until then, I’d have to be satisfied watching over them.