A few months later
Zain was back.
Zain was finally back.
Zain was finally back and inside of him, where he belonged.
Moaning, Aiden spread his legs wider, clutching at Zain’s shoulders as the older man thrust into him. Christ, it felt so right—the weight of him, the pressure, the pleasure, the man. Aiden felt so insatiable for him he wanted to whine every time Zain pulled out. Although Zain had been back in his life for months, Aiden still irrationally felt like he could be taken away from him. He would never get enough of him. These past few weeks apart hadn’t helped.
“Don’t come yet,” Aiden said hoarsely, sliding his hands down Zain’s muscular back and gripping his firm ass. “Don’t stop.”
“I’m too close,” Zain said, burying his face in Aiden’s neck. “It’s been weeks.”
The desperation, the need in his voice, made Aiden’s heart soar. Zain still wasn’t very good at talking about his feelings, but at times like this, it was obvious he had it as bad as Aiden did.
“Zain,” Aiden whispered, stroking Zain’s back and shoulders, relishing the strength of his muscles as they flexed under his fingers. “Zain—Zain…”
“What?” Zain said, mouthing his neck.
Aiden smiled dazedly, hugging him close. “Nothing. I just love saying your name. I love you.”
Zain groaned, his rhythm becoming uneven, harder, faster, and with a last few jerky, jagged lunges, he came inside him, letting out a deep, hoarse snarl of pleasure. Breathing hard, he slipped his hand between them to stroke Aiden’s leaking cock. “Come for me, habibi.”
That was enough to push Aiden over the edge, because he was that easy for him. That desperate. That in love.
“Don’t pull out yet,” he begged. He clutched Zain to him, buried his face in his neck, pressed his mouth against his skin as the pleasure wracked his body before slowly ebbing out.
Peace. Quiet. The scent. The man. Everything was perfect with the world.
At long last—far too soon—Zain rolled onto his back and pulled Aiden into his arms.
Aiden hummed, tucking his head under Zain’s chin and wrapping his arm around Zain’s waist. He was aware he was kind of clinging, but so was Zain, to be honest. It had taken Zain longer than expected to finalize his business arrangements in Dubai. But finally Zain was back for good, back in their home in Boston. Their home. Theirs. His and Zain’s. The mere thought still made Aiden giddy. He’d loved Zain’s mansion in Dubai, but this house felt special, because they’d picked it together. For them.
Fuck, Aiden hadn’t known it was possible to feel so happy. His happiness was so embarrassingly obvious that even his parents had started thawing toward Zain. “I can’t hate him when he puts that look in your eyes,” his mother had said last month. “Your dad isn’t angry anymore, either.”
His parents’ acceptance made Aiden even giddier, but after being miserable for ten long months, he still couldn’t quite believe how perfect his life was now. He was a little scared. Scared this happiness would be snatched away from him in a puff of smoke.
“Are you sure Al Sharabi isn’t going to hire someone to kill you?” Aiden said.
Zain gave a soft snort. “The old man might be pissed, but the divorce isn’t as much of a humiliation as Gadiel ditching his daughter would have been. He’ll live with it, especially considering that I gave Farah a very generous settlement.” A wrinkle appeared between his brows. “That said, I’m still a little surprised by how little trouble Al Sharabi caused. I expected it to be harder.”
“I… I might have asked Damiano to threaten Al Sharabi into leaving you alone,” Aiden said, cringing a little. It wasn’t that he was afraid that Zain would be angry. Zain’s anger was nothing a few soft smiles and hard fucks couldn’t fix. But this interference revealed how much he had been worried. “It’s not that I thought you couldn’t take care of yourself, but…” He lifted his head to look Zain in the eyes and whispered, “I’m scared shitless of losing you after finally getting you back.”
Zain stared at him for a moment. Blinked. Looked away.
“You won’t lose me,” he said, returning his gaze to Aiden. “Nothing will stop me from coming back to you.”
His eyes stinging, Aiden leaned forward and kissed him needily. “That was a very romantic thing to say,” he said, cradling Zain’s face with his hands.
“Was it?” Zain said. “It’s simply a fact.”
“Right,” Aiden said with a laugh. “God forbid someone suspects you of being romantic. You moving your entire life to another country for my sake is nothing too.”
“To be fair, not my entire life,” Zain said. “Gadiel is here too.”
Humming, Aiden laid his head back on Zain’s shoulder, squirming closer to him. “How is he, by the way?”
“Blissfully happy with his bodyguard,” Zain said dryly. “Let’s hope the man’s stamina can keep up with the brat’s. I’m not fixing his little problem again.”
“We can always buy him a dildo,” Aiden said, chuckling. “That should have been the obvious solution for you, by the way.”
“Well, I’m very glad I didn’t buy him a dildo.”
Aiden’s laughter turned into a soft smile that probably looked as besotted as he felt. “I’m very glad, too,” he said quietly, his throat suddenly tight. Jokes aside, his life could have turned out very different if Zain hadn’t attended that auction and hadn’t happened to notice him. “I’m so lucky it was you.”
“No,” Zain said, tipping Aiden’s face up to look him in the eyes. It made Aiden feel like he was the most interesting thing in the world. The most precious. “I’m the lucky one.”
Aiden blinked a few times, a lump forming in his throat. He cleared it and smiled. “Do you remember my first love confession?”
Zain’s brows drew together. “You mean in your parents’ house?”
“Nope. The very first one.” Aiden pouted exaggeratedly. “I can’t believe you already forgot it, sweet cheeks.”
Zain laughed. “Ah. You mean the time you pretended to be in love with me to annoy me? What about it?”
Running his fingers through Zain’s hair, Aiden looked him in the eyes and repeated softly the words he’d once said in jest, “I can’t live without you. Let’s have babies together.” When Zain just stared at him, Aiden gave a crooked smile, feeling a little self-conscious. “Not right now, of course. Down the line, years from now. But you know what I mean.” I want to have a family with you. I want forever.
“Yes,” Zain said, his voice a little rough. He rolled Aiden onto his back and kissed the corner of Aiden’s mouth, pressing their cheeks together. “Anything. Whatever you want.”
“Whatever I want?” Aiden said with a grin, looping his arms around Zain’s neck. “Careful, Your Highness. You might regret it.”
Zain just looked at him for a moment, his dark eyes warm and intense.
“I love you,” he said, and kissed him.
