Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Aitor
Present Day
A t some point I’d fallen asleep on the flight, dreaming of Ikal and the night I’d claimed him. People had said we were crazy to claim each other on our first date, but neither of us had wanted to wait. I felt like I’d been waiting forever for him, and I didn’t want to wait a second longer, and because he was—and is—so goddamn perfect for me, he didn’t want to wait either.
The morning after I’d claimed him with my bite, I’d woken to find his side of the bed cold. I was halfway out of bed, frantic and worried that it had all been a dream, when my brain picked up the scent of coffee. Ikal had appeared in the bedroom doorway holding an expertly prepared flat white.
“Where did you get that?” I nodded to the cup in his hand, which looked like one of mine.
“I made it, though I did run out to the shop to get a bag of my espresso beans since the ones you had are shit.”
“So you made it there?”
He shook his head. “No. I fixed your machine. There is a valve that gets loose on that model, and all I had to do was tighten it, and you’re back in business.”
He sat on the edge of the bed, and I took the coffee from his hands and set it on the nightstand, my gaze landing on the healing bite on his neck. It looked exactly right there, and I reached out to run my thumb over it.
“What are you thinking about?” Ikal’s hand landed on my thigh, pulling me out of the memory, and I turned to meet his beautiful blue eyes. “You were purring.”
Cupping the back of his head, I pulled him to me until our lips met. “Only because I was thinking of you, maitea. Always because I’m thinking of you.”
Ikal’s eyes went soft and unfocused. “I love you, Aitor. Thank you for doing this.”
“I’ve missed you, my love. I’m looking forward to this time together.”
“Me too.” Ikal reached over the armrest between us and took my hand, then settled back into the comfortable first-class seat. We stayed hand in hand until the pilot announced our final descent into Cabo San Lucas.
We collected our bags and made our way through the airport to the rental car counter. Ikal raised a brow, curious about why we needed a car.
“We have a little bit of a drive to our final destination.”
He smiled, and like always, it made something inside me melt a little.
“Okay. I trust you, Tor. I’m going to call Mirabel to make sure everything is going okay at the shop.”
My mate was almost as much of a workaholic as I was. His coffee shop was his baby, and while we both knew Mirabel was more than capable of running the place for the week, I knew it would make him feel better to hear everything was going well. I nodded, and he took a few steps away to make his call.
I watched him, completely captivated by him like I had been the first time I’d seen him. He was wearing his hair a little longer now, and I loved to run my fingers through it, and as a lock fell over his eyes while he paced a small circle and spoke on the phone, my fingers itched to tuck the strand back where it belonged.
He smiled at something Mirabel said, and I felt him relax through our mate bond. That was exactly what he needed, and I said a silent grateful prayer to whichever deity was listening that Mirabel was reassuring him and giving him this time to relax. I hoped when he saw our accommodations for the week that he’d be able to really let go.
The rental car agent handed me a set of car keys and told me where to go to pick up the car.
“Everything good?” I asked when Ikal hung up the phone, even though I already knew the answer.
“Everything is great.” He took my hand and we walked outside to find our rented SUV.
Ikal kept up a running commentary during the two-hour drive from the airport to the villa I’d rented in La Paz, commenting on how different yet the same things were on this side of the country compared to where we lived in Cancun. He was right, there were lots of similarities since both areas catered to tourists, but to me it felt like we were a world away.
“Oh my god, Tor. Is this really where we’re staying?” He leaned forward and was looking through the windshield at the large white stucco and stone home I’d rented for the week. The house was very square and modern, and beyond it I could see the ocean lapping at the private beach. I pulled into the covered carport, and Ikal was out of the car and looking around before I’d even put the car in park.
I’d picked this place specifically because it was exactly the kind of aesthetic my mate loved. He liked clean lines and a modern feel with splashes of bright color. While I was sure he would have been happy anywhere I’d picked, this was the only property I could picture him in. It was just similar enough to our house at home to feel familiar, but it was different enough to be worth exploring, and Ikal was already doing that.
He stood in front of the house snapping picture on his phone. “Tor, this place is gorgeous.”
“Wait until you see the inside.”
“Yes, please!”
He tried to take his suitcase from me, but I held on tight. “I’ve got this. You go look around.”
I gave him the code for the door, and he punched it in and held it open so I could maneuver our bags inside. He headed straight for the back door and the patio with the private pool and stairs that led down to the beach. In Cancun, we lived in the city, surrounded by other people on all sides, but this villa was set away from everything. The next neighbor wasn’t too far away, but the houses were separated by a natural stone outcropping. They would only be able to see us if they happened to be standing on their roof.
“Tor, come here. You have to see this.”
A smile spread across my lips at the excitement in my mate’s voice. Through our bond I could feel his happiness and my heart settled, knowing I’d made the right decision to get away for a little while. I left the bags in the largest bedroom that had a huge bathroom with a sunken stone tub and a view of the ocean from the king-size canopy bed. Ikal was going to love the room.
I made my way back into the main part of the house, past the gourmet kitchen with its gleaming stainless steel appliances and the large living room and out the door to the patio. Ikal was standing on the first level looking down over the pool a level below and the beach a level below that. He was bent forward, his shorts pulled enticingly over his gorgeous ass, his arms resting on the low polished stone wall.
It was impossible to keep my hands off him, and I didn’t even try. Reconnecting was what this trip was about, so I approached quietly, and ran a hand over his ass, giving one cheek a squeeze. He stood and I wrapped my arms around him, resting my chin on his shoulder and kissing along his jaw.
“You look like you belong here, maitea.” I whispered the sentiment into his skin, thrilling a little at the small shiver that ran through him at my touch and my words.
“It feels good to get away. I know we live close to the ocean in Cancun, but there is something different about the water and the air on the west coast.” He turned in my arms and pressed a kiss to my lips. “Thank you for arranging this and bringing me here. It’s exactly what I needed.”
“I know it is, my love.” We turned back to the water, but I kept my arms around him, my palms resting against his flat stomach where we both hoped our babies would grow one day, but this trip was supposed to be about leaving the pressure to start our family behind for a while. “What do you want to do while we’re here? This is your trip, Ikal, so it’s your choice.”
“Are you going to think I’m boring if I say I just want to spend time on the beach, in the pool, and in bed with you?”
My lips traced over his neck as he looked out over the water where the sun was just starting to set. “That sounds perfect. The villa comes with a private chef, so we don’t even have to leave for meals unless you want to.”
Ikal moaned, his back vibrating against my chest. “God, Tor, why didn’t you lead with that? Talk about a dream come true.”
Reaching down, I pinched his side. “You basically have a private chef at home since I do almost all the cooking.” He laughed, and the sound and his joy pulsed through me. It felt like forever since I’d felt him this happy.
He pressed back his perfect ass into me, and my dick immediately started to perk up. “I know, but now I won’t even have to share you with the kitchen.”
His words brought me up short. “I didn’t know you felt that way.”
“It’s just we spend all day apart, and then when you get home, you spend an hour or more in the kitchen, and I know I’m usually by your side, helping, but it would be nice to just be able to relax in the evenings so we can both decompress.”
“Why don’t we look into hiring a private chef. Maybe we can find someone willing to prep meals for us, so we can spend more time together after work.”
He spun in my arms so fast I stumbled backward a step. “Do you really mean that?”
“Of course. I would have suggested it sooner if I had known it was something you wanted. I’d do anything if it made you happy.”
“I know you would. I swear, I’m the luckiest omega on the planet. And just so we’re clear, I don’t want to hire a private chef because I don’t like your cooking. You know I love it, I just want more time with you cuddled on the couch, watching TV, just relaxing.”
The picture he painted sounded great, and if and when we had babies, we would need the time for our family too. I didn’t think it would be too expensive to hire someone part-time. The second we got home, I would look into it.
Ikal tugged on my hand. “Speaking of, I’d love to cuddle with you right now.” He pulled me back inside, leaving the large sliding door open to let in the ocean breeze, and settled us down on the couch. The TV was set up with all the streaming services, and he found the one he wanted and scrolled through the options, landing on a movie we’d seen a million times. My mate curled into my side and pulled my arms around him, playing with my fingers and tracing patterns on my skin while we watched.
This trip was supposed to be about Ikal resting and recovering after the last six months, but as we sat curled up on the couch, I realized being close to him with nothing to do and nowhere to be, with nothing hanging over our heads, was healing me too. Until that moment, I hadn’t known I needed it.
“That’s better, babe.” Ikal twined his fingers with mine and kissed the back of my hand.
“Hmm?”
“I can feel you relaxing.”
He was right. That was exactly what was happening, and it felt damn good.
A soft knock at the door woke us a little while later. The movie had long since ended, the streaming service’s home screen now playing through the new releases on a loop.
“I’ll grab it.” Ikal rubbed his eyes and stood from the sofa, stretching and adjusting his clothes as he made his way to the front door.
I heard his side of a very short conversation, and a few minutes later, he returned to the living room carrying two insulated bags. “Dinner has been served.”
My stomach chose that moment to rumble. I was hungry now that I was thinking about it, and I followed him to the kitchen where he set the bags on the counter. Each meal was individually portioned in its own container, and Ikal tore the lid off the first one, inhaling deeply.
The chef had prepared seared tuna with mango salsa over a bed of Spanish rice, and it smelled absolutely delicious. Ikal set the lid back on the container and pulled out more from the other bag—two individual salads, a small plate of sliced fresh fruit, and two large slices of a decadent-looking chocolate torte.
“Oh, hell yes. I’m definitely eating this first.” He gave me a look that dared me to say he shouldn’t, even though we both knew that I would never tell him no. “I’m allowed. We’re on vacation.”
“You are allowed to eat whatever you want even when we’re not on vacation.”
He pulled a fork from one of the kitchen drawers, holding it up in triumph. “True, but you never make me chocolate cake.”
That was fair, but there was a good reason for it. “I’m a terrible baker. You know that.”
He forked up a huge bite of cake and slid the fork between his lush pink lips, licking the tines clean as he closed his eyes and let out a moan so sinful my cock went from intrigued, like it always was around Ikal, to rock hard so quickly I got lightheaded and had to grab the kitchen counter for support.
“God, that’s good.” My mate forked up another bite, but this time, he held his fork out to me. “You need to try this.”
I opened my mouth, and he fed me the morsel, rich flavor exploding on my tongue.
“Oh shit. I see what you mean.”
Ikal slid the drawer with the forks open and pulled out another, passing it to me. “Do you think we could eat outside? The firepit on the patio is gas, and it might be nice to dine under the stars.”
“That sounds perfect.” I gathered up our entrees and the fruit, and Ikal grabbed the desserts.
We opted for the cushioned chairs around the firepit instead of the outdoor dining table, and Ikal pushed his chair as close to mine as possible. We ate with the cheerful flames of the fire flickering over us and the waves crashing against the shore down on the beach, and when we were done and every crumb of chocolate cake was gone, we sat hand in hand, soaking up each other’s company and enjoying the completely unhurried moment. It was so simple, yet it was one of the most romantic evenings we’d spent together in a long time. It was what we needed.
When we settled into bed a while later and I pulled my mate closer, I felt more relaxed than I had in a long, long time.
And it was only the first day of our trip.