Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 66062 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 330(@200wpm)___ 264(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66062 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 330(@200wpm)___ 264(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
“God, you’re such a dick,” he muttered, shaking his head. “I can’t believe I love you—” He cut himself off the moment he realized what he’d said.
Shit.
Aiden looked around, hoping against hope that no one had heard him.
Of course they had.
His family was staring at him with varying degrees of pity, horror, and sorrow.
But Aiden couldn’t take the words back. He couldn’t bring himself to turn them into a joke. Truer words had never been spoken. Truer and more damning. He loved Zain. He was utterly, hopelessly in love with him.
And now Zain knew it.
Bracing himself, Aiden looked at him.
Zain’s expression was mostly blank, but his brown eyes were searing him.
Slowly, Zain got to his feet. His hands twitched before he shoved them into his pockets. “Come with me,” he said tersely before striding out of the room.
Despite his intense mortification, Aiden did as he was told. Of course he did. His body was conditioned to obey this man, even after months apart.
Someone said something at his back, but Aiden couldn’t even hear anything beyond the heartbeat thudding in his ears.
He found Zain in the hallway.
“How long will it take you to get packed?” Zain said, glancing at his watch. “If you hurry up, we can leave within the hour.”
Aiden stared at him incredulously.
Then he walked over and punched him in the gut. “Seriously?”
Wincing, Zain rubbed his abs. “What?” he had the gall to say.
Aiden punched him again. “Ugh, you’re so infuriating! I hate you, you unbelievable, emotionless icicle—”
Zain crushed their lips together, and Aiden’s annoyance dissolved into overwhelming relief. Whimpering, Aiden kissed back, because he couldn’t not kiss him. He missed him so much. He felt like a ravenous creature, opening his mouth wider for Zain’s tongue, wanting him, needing him so much, more, deeper. Zain moved his hands to the back of his head, scraping his fingers along Aiden’s scalp, angling his head bossily so he could kiss him more deeply, as if he wanted to devour him, as if he could never have enough of him. God knew Aiden could never have enough of him.
But eventually, far too soon, they had to break apart to get some air into their lungs. They looked at each other dazedly, their breaths coming in ragged gasps.
Aiden wanted—needed—more kisses. He wanted to have this man inside him, in every possible way: his tongue, his cock, his entire body, if it were possible. And god, Zain smelled so good, Aiden wanted to roll around in his scent, like a dog in a puddle of mud.
But they needed to talk first.
“You didn’t even grovel,” Aiden said, trying to remember that he was annoyed. It was very difficult, when all he wanted was to go back to kissing Zain.
“What should I grovel for?”
Aiden laughed, shaking his head. “God, you’re unbelievable! Maybe for the fact that you bought me like a piece of meat and wanted me to be your brother’s sex pet?”
Zain just looked at him for a moment. “I have no regrets,” he said—and didn’t elaborate.
Ugh, he was so frustrating! Would it kill him to say something sweet, something along the lines of “I’m glad I bought you because I would never have met you if I didn’t”? Was it too much to ask for?
“Last time, you called me habibi,” Aiden said. “I looked it up. It basically means ‘my love.’”
“It’s just a term of endearment,” Zain said stiffly, averting his gaze. “You were upset. I wouldn’t take seriously anything I say when you’re upset.”
Aiden’s heart fell. Even if Zain had feelings for him, the fact that he was still so unwilling to admit them was incredibly disheartening. God. Any relationship between them was doomed. The unsaid words, the constant denial, would gradually brew resentment that would poison any relationship, even the healthiest relationship out there—and theirs was far from it.
“Zain,” Aiden said.
There must have been something in his voice, because Zain immediately looked at him.
“You should go,” Aiden said softly, fighting the sudden sting in his eyes. “This… this will never work. I can’t—I don’t want to keep getting breadcrumbs while I make a fool of myself. I don’t want to be the dirty little secret you keep apart from your real life. I can do it—I know I’ll be too wrapped up in you for a while to care, but in the long term, I don’t think it’ll make either of us happy. Not that I want to force you out of the closet for my sake. With your country’s shitty laws, it’s not even a possibility.”
Zain’s face was like stone.
Aiden looked at him with helpless longing, stroking Zain’s stubbled jaw with his knuckles before dropping his hands. His throat hurt as he whispered, “It’d be better if we never see each other again.” He smiled crookedly. “I know myself. I’m not strong enough to keep saying no to you.” He had no delusions about his willpower. He’d suck Zain’s dick right here if Zain told him to.