Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 84544 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 338(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84544 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 338(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
“Kiss me again. Like the first time. Show me what you want,” Kairo teased.
Isidore’s hand returned to his neck, but this time his long fingers slid up into his hair, massaging his scalp while tilting his head exactly where he wanted it. The first kiss had been a hard claiming. This time, he moved slower, as if he were determined to savor every lick of Kairo’s mouth. Their lips came together gently so that Kairo didn’t feel any of the previous pain, only the heat and hunger rising from Isidore.
No one had ever kissed him like this.
He was wrapped up so tight that he could feel the growing bulge in Isidore’s pants, but there was no frantic sense of urgency. Isidore made him feel as if he planned to stay right there for the rest of their lives, exploring every inch of Kairo’s mouth. Kairo was the center of his world at this moment, and nothing could make him want to leave these arms.
“Isidore?” Athena called out.
They broke apart just as Athena came into the room. Her wide eyes jumped from her brother to Kairo to her brother again. There was no denying what they’d been doing. Kairo’s face felt as red as Isidore’s looked. Neither of them had been thinking clearly, and now reality was screaming into his brain.
“Um. Yeah, so go ahead and grab a shower first if you’d like. I-I need to check in with Charlie about some business,” Kairo stammered, retreating toward the door. Thankfully Athena moved out of the way, or he would have tripped right over her.
His exit was less than graceful as he hurried down the stairs and then promptly cursed himself when he was on the first floor again. He should have run to his private bedroom, where he could take a few minutes to collect his thoughts and figure out what the fuck he was doing.
He’d kissed a client.
No. He’d kissed Isidore.
He’d kissed Isidore as though his life had depended on it and had loved every freaking second of it.
What was he thinking?
Sadly, he didn’t get the chance to figure that out. There were too many other people about, and he did not need their meddling asses in his business.
Except most of the team was missing. The living room was empty, so he wandered into the kitchen to find Will sitting at the small table with four seats while Charlie was digging through the fridge. His boss lifted his head when he entered and held up a beer bottle in his direction.
“Yes, please,” he moaned and dropped into the seat opposite Will. “Where is everyone?”
“Soren and Alexei went to fetch dinner. West went for a walk to scout the area, and Ed is trying to find a pet store to get some supplies for the ferret,” Will explained.
Kairo’s brow furrowed and his frown deepened. “I thought he was going to do that tomorrow.”
Charlie placed a bottle in front of Kairo and took the open seat between him and Will. “Alexei said he can’t sleep in the house with the rat running loose.”
“I’m so confused. Alexei always struck me as an unstoppable, cold, killing machine when he needed to be,” Kairo murmured, mostly to himself, taking a sip of beer.
“I’m sure he is, but everyone has something that bothers them. Will can’t stand any kind of spider.”
The doctor moved in his chair, and Kairo was pretty sure he kicked Charlie under the table. “So says the man who spent most of his life terrified of long-term, monogamous relationships.”
Charlie just smirked. “Maybe I was just waiting to find the right man.”
“And then went on to totally fuck up that relationship, wallow in self-pity and sex for six years before finding that man a second time and nearly fucking it up all over again,” Kairo muttered under his breath to his beer bottle.
When he looked up it was to find both Will and Charlie staring at him in a mix of horror and amusement.
“Who pissed in your Cheerios? You try to make a move on Izzie and he shut you down?” Charlie asked.
Kairo instantly jerked upright from his slump, wanting to snap at his boss and old friend, but his mind was currently locked up with too many comments. Sadly, his mouth was working without his brain engaged. “What? No!”
“So, you are sleeping with him?” Will automatically chimed in.
“No! Where did you get that?”
“You said he didn’t shut you down. Did Athena interrupt a little private time?” Charlie picked up the conversation, and Kairo was regretting sitting at the table. He had not expected Charlie and Will to gang up on him like this.
They were partially right, however. Athena had interrupted some very wonderful private time, but it was for the best. He couldn’t start something with Isidore. That didn’t make any sense. They were nothing alike. Isidore was the head of this giant conglomerate, and he was a mercenary for hire. Isidore was rich and he was…well, he wasn’t technically poor. He did just fine for himself, but nothing in a league like Isidore.