Just a Bit Captivated, page 18
Christ, Jordan thought, his stomach sinking. This was bad.
But Aiden didn’t stop talking.
“Zain’s house is huge, much bigger than this one, and it looked like something from a fairytale, all illuminated at night. So beautiful.” Aiden’s gaze was distant, as if he were seeing it instead of their parents’ house. “On Christmas evening, we dined on the patio. We could even watch the fireworks in Dubai, and I talked Zain into spending the night in the hammock there. It’s actually pretty chilly at night in December, but we had a blanket, and he held me—” His voice cracked, and Aiden stopped talking, staring blankly at the house.
Jordan didn’t know what to say.
“It’s so stupid…” Aiden whispered. “I know that life—that existence in a golden cage, with him being my whole world—I know it wasn’t healthy, but…” Aiden blinked rapidly, his eyes glistening. “I’d trade my very healthy life here for that life in a heartbeat. That makes me crazy, doesn’t it?”
Jordan looked away, his heart heavy.
He still felt like shit when he returned to his bedroom.
“Caro?” Damiano said, his voice hoarse from sleep, reaching for him as Jordan climbed into the bed.
Jordan looked into his beautiful gray eyes and suddenly felt so damn grateful for everything he had. He kissed Damiano hard, unable to get enough.
Damiano chuckled, pulling back a little. “Not that I mind your enthusiasm, but what brought this on?”
Laying his head on his lover’s shoulder, Jordan wrapped his arm around his middle. “I just… I feel lucky to be with the person I love,” he said, kissing Damiano’s shoulder. “It just hit me suddenly.”
Damiano knew him too well to let go of the issue that easily. His intelligent eyes studied him for a long moment before Damiano laid his hand on Jordan’s and said, “Tell me what you need me to do, caro.”
Jordan thought for a moment and then told him.
Damiano listened to his request without a hint of surprise.
“I wouldn’t even need to look into it,” he said with a rueful smile. “I’ve been keeping tabs on the man for months. Just in case.”
Jordan rolled his eyes with a laugh. “Of course you did. Okay, I guess your paranoid overprotectiveness can be useful. Spill.”
Damiano hummed, playing with Jordan’s fingers absentmindedly. “Rahim is a highly intelligent man. He’s a shark when it comes to business, and it’s rumored that he isn’t any different in his personal life. Not that he has much of a personal life these days. He lives separately from his wife—he recently sent her to the UK, enrolling her in Cambridge. Apparently his father-in-law wasn’t pleased about it, but in the UAE the husband’s decision is law. Rahim has also been meeting with his lawyers a lot, and from the snatches of conversation my men overheard, they’re working on a divorce. Rahim intends to financially support his soon-to-be ex-wife, so that she wouldn’t need to return to her father upon the divorce, but otherwise he isn’t willing to give an inch to his father-in-law.” Damiano shook his head. “The man has balls of steel; I’ll give him that.”
Jordan frowned. “Do you think there might be a chance that he hasn’t forgotten Aiden?”
Damiano shrugged, stroking Jordan’s knuckles. “Who knows. As far as my men could tell, the man has been living like a monk.”
That didn’t necessarily mean anything, especially for a Muslim.
Jordan sighed. “Even if he gets divorced, my dad’s threat to expose him as a sodomite to the UAE authorities is still very much real. The most Aiden can hope for is to be his dirty little secret again.” Jordan grimaced. From his experience, he knew being a secret just made you miserable long-term. But unlike him, Aiden couldn’t take his happiness into his own hands. Zain Rahim wasn’t Damiano. The power imbalance between Rahim and Aiden was so vast their relationship would have been side-eyed even if there hadn’t been the sex slave issue—or the issue of the UAE government not allowing them to ever be openly together.
Some relationships just weren’t meant to be.
Maybe it was one of them.
Chapter Twenty-Four
They were about to sit down for dinner when the doorbell rang.
Aiden didn’t pay it much mind, his gaze on his phone. Although his mother had said it would just be close family tonight, it was probably one of his numerous aunts. He could only hope it wasn’t one of his parents’ friends with single daughters his age.
He cringed at the thought. One awkward date trying to make small talk was more than enough. And Aiden had tried. He had. He’d done his best to like Jenny and be fun and engaging, but he had felt absolutely nothing when he looked at her. No, not nothing—he had felt discomfort, as if he were doing something wrong.
“How dare you come here? Get out.”
Aiden frowned, lifting his head. From his place on the floor, all he could see was his father’s very stiff back. His dad was normally a nice, friendly guy who was never rude to people. The only person he’d ever been rude to was…
His heart beating faster and his palms suddenly clammy, Aiden got to his feet. Surely it wasn’t—
It was.
Aiden’s eyes locked with Zain’s over his dad’s shoulder, and just like that, there was nothing else in the room. There was no one else in the world. Everything else became muted, insignificant, as Aiden drank in the sight of him, feeling so damn thirsty after so many months apart. Zain was here. God, he looked magnificent in his stylish dark coat, his eyes so very dark, his long eyelashes glittering with snow, and his mouth—the firm curve of it so gorgeous Aiden needed to lick into it and glue their mouths together.
“Damiano, why did your men let him through?”
“They’re not there to stop unarmed visitors,” Damiano said.
Aiden didn’t even register the voices, unable to look away from Zain, whose gaze was fixed on him too.
He couldn’t stand it—he couldn’t stand seeing Zain and not touching him. There was a painful ache in his gut, his body needing to be closer and every cell in his body pulling him toward Zain. So Aiden went, his feet moving forward without his conscious command, as if he were pulled by a cord.
Zain’s dark eyes were watching him approach, his nostrils flaring.
“Aiden, go to your room,” his dad barked out.
Aiden didn’t—couldn’t—even glance at him. Zain, his heart beat. Zain Zain Zain. He needed him closer, he needed to touch him, to make sure he really was there and it wasn’t just a dream. He’d had so many dreams like this, dreams from which he’d woken up feeling hollowed out and lonely, and missing him so badly.
Someone touched his arm, trying to stop him, but Aiden wrenched it free and kept moving until he collided with Zain’s chest and buried his face in his neck.
Oh god.
He breathed in, and he was lost, his senses going into overdrive. A whimper left his throat when strong, familiar arms wrapped around him and squeezed him tightly. Zain Zain Zain.
Someone was saying something in an angry voice, but Aiden couldn’t even hear it, clinging to Zain desperately, nuzzling his face against his neck. He wanted to swallow him, to consume him, and keep him inside him forever.
“Aiden!” Someone was trying to pull him away from Zain.
No!
Clinging to Zain’s waist, Aiden turned his head and snarled like a feral cat, baring his teeth.
His father blanched and stepped back. “Christ…” he said, looking shaken. “Calm down, son. I’m not your enemy.”
He felt like one. Anything that could take Zain away felt like an enemy.
“Shh,” Zain said into his ear, stroking his back soothingly. Possessively. “I’m here. No one will take you from me again.”
Aiden all but purred, leaning into his touch and burying his face in Zain’s neck again. God, his scent. It was pure bliss.
“Damn…” someone said. It was either Jordan or Eloise’s husband, Paul.
“We can’t just—we can’t just do nothing and let that man grope Aiden in front of us!”
“Let’s calm down,” his mother said. Her voice sounded a little strained but nowhere near as angry as her husband’s. “He’s not… groping him. He’s holding him. I don’t think forcibly tearing them apart is the right thing to do. You saw how Aiden reacted when you attempted to do it.”
“But— look at them!” his father growled in frustration. “You can’t tell me this kind of behavior is normal!”
“It isn’t, but it’s clear that Aiden won’t take it well if we separate them and kick the man out of the house.” She raised her voice, sounding unnaturally nonchalant. “Dinner is ready, everyone! Let’s all go to the dining room. Aiden, take Mr. Rahim’s coat and invite him to join us. Aiden!”
Reluctantly, Aiden lifted his head and forced himself to pull back a little. He knew he couldn’t push his parents too much. His dad already looked like he was about to have a stroke.
Aiden took a step away, trying to get a grip on his emotions. He couldn’t keep himself wrapped around Zain like an octopus. His entire family was watching.
So he could only eye him longingly as Zain took off his coat and handed it to Aiden. Under it, he was wearing a dark suit and a pale-blue shirt that brought out his gorgeous skin tone. Everything about him was perfect, from his dark hair and strong hands to the faint lines at the corners of his eyes.
He was made for me.
The thought was like a slap. It felt as true as it was dumbfounding.
Their eyes locked again, and Aiden found himself physically shaking. An ache curled in his chest, a barbed, hopeless longing.
Wetting his lips, Aiden stretched out his trembling fingers to him, and after a moment, Zain took them into his own hand, squeezing.
Oh.
His stomach full of terrible butterflies, Aiden led Zain toward the dining room, following the rest of his family. His hand was tingling. He wanted to intertwine their fingers together so badly but didn’t dare while everyone was watching them.
“Sweetheart, Mr. Rahim can take the seat next to Paul,” his mother said with a strained smile.
Squeezing Zain’s hand harder, Aiden shook his head and pulled Zain into the seat next to him. He couldn’t bear having him that far away, not when he finally had him back.
After a moment, everyone took their seats, and the sounds of cutlery filled the room, breaking the awkward silence.
Aiden had to let go of Zain’s hand so that they could eat, but he kept sneaking glances at him every few seconds, to reassure himself that he really was there. To his relief, Zain didn’t seem to be much better: his gaze barely left Aiden, watching him eat as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.
Someone cleared their throat.
“Are we going to talk about the elephant in the room?” Eloise said with a chuckle. “Or are we all going to keep pretending that it’s completely normal that Aiden is making moon eyes at the man who bought him like a thing and had him locked up for a year?”
Tearing his gaze away from Zain, Aiden glared at his sister, his face far too warm. “Shut up, El,” he grumbled. Did she have to humiliate him in front of Zain?
You don’t need anyone humiliating you. You already did a great job yourself, clinging to a married man the moment you saw him—in front of your entire family, no less.
Aiden’s mood soured at the thought. He’d been so ridiculously happy to see Zain that he’d completely forgotten all the reasons they could never be together. What was Zain even doing here? Where was his wife?
“Why are you here, Mr. Rahim?” his mother said, as if reading his thoughts.
Zain’s face was completely inscrutable as he looked at Aiden’s parents. “I’m here to get Aiden back.”
Aiden sucked a breath in, staring at him wide-eyed.
Zain didn’t look at him, his gaze locked with Aiden’s father’s, who was nearly purple with rage.
“You—you have some nerve—”
“Darling,” his mother said, laying a hand on her husband’s arm. Although she didn’t look as angry as he was, there was obvious dislike in her eyes as she looked at Zain. “I was under the impression that you were married, Mr. Rahim.”
“Our divorce was finalized yesterday. Not that it matters. She was my wife in name only.”
Aiden breathed out.
“Your marital state doesn’t matter,” his father said sharply. “You’re delusional if you think we’ll let you take our son away.”
“It’s not a question of letting,” Zain said, his gaze cold. “Aiden is an adult. All that matters is what he wants. And he wants to be with me.”
Aiden spluttered. “Nice of you to ask my opinion, you asshole,” he said, but to his embarrassment, the censure in his tone didn’t quite hit the mark—it sounded far too fond.
Zain’s lips twitched, and he shifted his gaze from Aiden’s dad to Aiden, his expression significantly warmer. “I already got your answer when tried to climb me in front of your parents.”
Flushing, Aiden kicked him in the shin. “I just forgot what an arrogant dick you are. You’re much more attractive when you don’t open your mouth.”
The asshole was full-on smiling now, as if Aiden was amusing him. Unfortunately, his smile made him even more unfairly attractive, and Aiden could only stare at him helplessly. Longingly.
God, he’d sell his kidney to be able to crawl into his lap and kiss him.
“Okay, this is just embarrassing,” Eloise said. “I feel like a voyeur. Aiden, you can look away from him, right?”
His face burning with mortification, Aiden glowered at his grinning sister. The amused smile on Jordan’s face wasn’t much better. Seriously, he hated being the youngest kid sometimes. His siblings always bullied him—lovingly, affectionately, but still.
“Leave him alone,” Zain said, as if he hadn’t just been teasing Aiden too. He laid his hand on the back of Aiden’s chair. “He can look at me all he wants. He’s mine. He didn’t stop belonging to me when you took him from me.”
Aiden’s mother choked on her wine and started coughing. His dad looked like he’d swallowed a very sour lemon.
Aiden didn’t know whether to feel pleased, amused, or horrified by Zain’s words.
“That’s certainly an interesting tactic,” Damiano murmured to Jordan.
Aiden gave Zain a look. “Are you actually trying to piss them off?” he hissed, lowering his voice. “They aren’t me. They aren’t used to your charming attitude. You really aren’t endearing yourself to anyone by reminding them that you owned me.”
Zain’s hand moved from his chair to his shoulder. His knuckles brushed against Aiden’s neck, making him shiver. “I’m not going to pretend to be something I’m not. I don’t care what they think of me. They don’t have to like me. The only opinion that matters to me is yours.”
There was nothing particularly romantic about those words or the tone of his voice. But Aiden still melted into a puddle of sappy goo.
“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.
