“Rafael,” Summer whispered, reaching out to tangle his fingers in Rafael’s hair. “Please.”

Rafael hesitated, his dark eyes locked onto Summer’s hard cock. He swallowed hard, trying to quell the rapid beating of his heart as he allowed himself to dwell on the forbidden thought that had been lingering at the edges of his mind.

“Rafael?” Summer breathed, his voice barely more than a whisper as he stared at Rafael with wide, shadowed eyes.

Rafael couldn’t resist any longer. He leaned in and pressed a tender kiss to the tip of Summer’s cock, feeling the heat of it against his lips. The strangled protest that escaped from Summer’s mouth only drove him onward, fueling the fire that burned in him.

As he took Summer into his mouth, the musky taste of him filled Rafael’s senses, salty and intoxicating all at once. The feeling of Summer’s cock on his tongue was a forbidden thrill, and he was overcome with the unbearable homoeroticism of it all. This was something he’d never permitted himself before, but now there was no turning back.

Summer moaned softly as Rafael sucked on him, the sound driving Rafael wild with lust. He reached down, slicking one finger with saliva before gently pressing it against Summer’s tight hole. As he worked the digit inside, he continued to suck on Summer’s cock, feeling the delicious weight of it on his tongue.

“Ah...Rafael!” Summer gasped. “Mierda, use some lube!”

Rafael heard the rattle of a drawer and felt the thump of the bottle as it landed on the bed beside him. Chuckling, Rafael kissed the inside of Summer’s thigh as he squeezed a generous amount of lube onto his fingers, and then pressed them back inside Summer.

Summer moaned, his fingers tangling in Rafael’s hair as he bucked his hips, desperate for more contact. The sounds that spilled from his lips were like sweet music, spurring Rafael on as he felt the intensity of what they were doing wash over him, and he sucked Summer back into his mouth.

For a fleeting moment, he found himself wondering how it would feel if the roles were reversed, if Summer’s fingers were exploring him instead. But just as quickly as the thought had surfaced, he ruthlessly pushed it away, unable to even entertain such a taboo fantasy.

His heart still racing, Rafael rose up on his knees between Summer’s legs, slicking himself with lube. The sight of his bare cock poised at Summer’s entrance gave him a wicked thrill. He looked into Summer’s eyes, and his breath caught when he saw tears glistening in those vivid green orbs.

“¿Qué pasa?” Rafael asked softly, concern etched across his face as he leaned down to kiss Summer’s eyelids gently, tasting the saltiness of his tears.

“It’s nothing,” Summer whispered, pulling Rafael closer to him. “Por favor, Rafael, don’t stop.”

Unable to resist Summer’s plea, Rafael took a deep breath and began to slide his cock into Summer, slowly, with great care. Their mouths met; Rafael kissed Summer so deeply, imprinting the taste of Summer into his flesh. He kissed Summer’s jaw and his throat, murmured endearments and praise into his ear. Tender, all of it, as he tried to say goodbye through the gentle press of his hips and the warmth of his mouth against Summer’s skin. He couldn’t bring himself to say it out loud—not fully, not with all the weight that the words deserved—but as he stared into Summer’s eyes, he knew that they both understood the depth of what remained unspoken.

Summer’s hands clutched at Rafael’s broad shoulders, his nails digging into the inked flesh as he arched his back, drawing Rafael deeper inside him. Rafael’s thrusts were slow and deliberate, each one a silent farewell to the connection they shared, a connection that would soon be left behind.

As he moved in Summer, Rafael felt the constrictions of who he was fall away. In this place, with Summer, he could be…someone who could be tender.

“Ah...ah!” Summer moaned, gripping Rafael’s hips with trembling fingers, urging him deeper.

In this moment, buried in Summer’s body, it was clear. Rafael would lose this by taking Summer home to his father. All of this would soon be torn away from them, and the thought made his heart ache. He sunk himself in the physical ecstasy of this, allowing it to consume him. His body blazed, every nerve alive with a deep, bone-melting pleasure. He groaned as he drove himself deeper into Summer’s welcoming heat.

Summer trembled beneath him, close to breaking point. Rafael reached down to touch Summer’s cock, stroking him in time with their frantic rhythm. It was enough, too much. Summer cried out in ecstasy, clenching around Rafael’s cock as he came in thick gouts, his body shuddering over and over as he spilled.

The feel of Summer unraveling pushed Rafael over the edge. He drove himself one final time into Summer’s grasping body, his cock throbbing with an intensity he had never experienced before. It felt endless, as if the world outside on them ceased to exist.

“Te amo,” Rafael whispered into Summer’s neck, softly so that Summer wouldn’t hear it, his breath too ragged and raw. He bent his head to Summer’s shoulder, pressing a kiss to the sweat-slicked skin.

The world outside could remain so for now. As long as he could, Rafael wanted to hold onto this fragile, impossible place, where he could love Summer, if only for a moment.

Chapter Twenty

The helicopter’s blades whummed relentlessly, casting erratic shadows over the lush Colombian countryside below. Verdant hills rolled away in every direction, carpeted with thick, tropical foliage that swayed gently under the weight of a sultry breeze. A patchwork of plantations spread out beneath them, their green leaves glistening from a recent rain shower.

Summer stared out the window, taking in the landscape that was both familiar and alien to him. With each passing moment, he could feel the tendrils of his past reaching up to wrap around his throat. He breathed out shakily and steeled himself for the inevitable meeting with his father. The thought of returning to a world he had so desperately tried to escape filled him with dread, and he could feel it closing in, suffocating him.

His attention flickered toward Rafael, who sat stoically beside him, his dark eyes focused on the landscape outside. Summer quickly averted his gaze, his chest aching as he fought to hide the tumult of his emotions.

He couldn’t bear the thought of never being able to touch Rafael again, his memories of their stolen moments together both precious and painful. It was as if his heart was cracking open, the searing ache inside threatening to unmake him. He longed to reach out and take Rafael’s hand, to feel the warmth and strength that radiated from him, but he knew that such a gesture was impossible now.

With each passing second, Summer felt the future he had once dreamed of slipping further from his grasp, replaced by a lifetime of violence and misery. But he resigned himself to the bleak reality that awaited him, struggling to keep his expression smooth as the final vestiges of his freedom slipped away.

The helicopter descended, greenery giving way to the sprawling cartel compound below. Dirt roads teemed with armed guards and vehicles, kicking up dust as they moved about their business. As the helicopter touched down, the knot of anxiety in Summer’s chest throbbed. This was it. He was stepping back into a world he had once fled from.

Summer climbed down from the helicopter, his knees shaky. Perhaps that was why his foot slipped. For a moment, the image of falling flat on his face in front of his father’s men flashed before his eyes. Then a strong hand closed on his arm, bearing him up. Summer’s eyes lifted. Rafael looked back at him, his expression blank, but his eyes…so dark and full of concern.