Page 18 of The Himbo and the Lord

I ignore the dull pain in my gut that he’s leaving so soon. Also the ugly thought that he’s probably going to fuck his way round Melbourne too. After all, aren’t I the same? I got what I wanted, and as I’m only in Australia for another week, it shouldn’t matter to me. I decide it doesn’t—it can’t.

We finish up breakfast in silence, and when he’s cleared his plate, Nate stands.

“I’m going for a shower. It would certainly be more enjoyable if you joined me.”

He’s already said he’s leaving soon for Melbourne, so I plan to make as much as I can of the remaining time I have with him.

“Just try and stop me,” I quip, and actually beat him to the bathroom. We have fun washing each other all over, which of course turns into mutual soapy hand jobs.

Despite him being some sort of pleasure-seeking playboy, he’s a lot of fun, and he actually sings in the shower and encourages me to join him. I have no great singing voice, but he doesn’t seem to mind as we become louder and louder trying to outdo each other.

As we dry ourselves and dress, I can’t help thinking it’s a shame he’s leaving, as I’d like to hang out with him some more. Get to know him. Rather than it just being sex, because that’s what it’s been, just sex.

His phone starts ringing as he pulls his T-shirt on, and he makes a slight face before he answers it.

“Hey Seth,” he starts, and I hear a tirade of loud voices at the other end. I withdraw slightly, giving him some space, as it sounds like his friends, if that’s who’s called him, are giving him some grief.

“I’m on my way,” he says, before ringing off and pocketing his phone.

“You gotta go?”

“Yeah, my plane leaves in two hours.”

“Okay.” I suddenly don’t know what to say.

Thanks for the sex, it’s the best I’ve ever had. Have a nice life.

That would cover it, along withI wish I could see you again.

But I say none of those things. Instead, I settle on, “Enjoy the rest of your holiday. I had a really good time.”

It’s lame, but I can’t formulate anything more eloquent, and if I say more I might blurt out something likeplease don’t go.

What good would that do me? It would only delay the inevitable until I fly home to the other side of the world next week.

He pauses by the door, his hand resting on the handle.

“I had a great time too.”

He opens the door and walks out. I stand in the doorway and watch as he walks down the corridor. He gets halfway there before turning and striding back to me. He takes my cheeks in his hands and touches my lips with the softest kiss.

“Goodbye, Ru.”

And then he’s gone, walking away again.

I stay in the doorway, staring after him for a long time, enough for him to have taken the elevator and left the hotel.

Eventually I shut the door and return to my room. I need to go through some work for tomorrow, but I don’t. I lie down on the bed, curling into the spot where he slept, and where it still smells of him.

CHAPTERTEN

Nate

“I’m gonna take a nap,”I tell the elevator at large. “I barely got any sleep last night.”

“Ugh, you fucking asshole,” Tony grumbles, obviously butt-hurt about the fact that he spent the whole night trolling the club and didn’t get laid, when I left early and had the hottest fucking sex ever.

He, like me, doesn’t care that there are three perfect strangers in the elevator with us. The bellman is one of those people, and I bet he’s heard way worse, but the damn flight over was bumpy as hell and I’m feeling every hour of missed sleep, so I really couldn’t care less about cursing in front of strangers.

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