Page 34 of Sapphire Storm

One eyebrow raised, mouth curling into a half smile, Romanlooked much like the fumbling seductor he’d been the night before. “You’reafraid to have me in your house again ’cause you got a boner while I rubbed yourback?”

“Fear has nothing to do with it. I’m suggesting it’s not thebest course of action becauseyougot a boner when you rubbed my back,young man.”

His face fell in an instant. “The kiss was just supposed tobe like…you know, a good-bye kiss. You know, like, polite…not weird.”

Ethan smiled. “All right, well. Let’s let it serve itsintended purpose and have this be good-bye, then. Until it’s time to meet aboutwhat the lawyer says.”

“Okay, whatever,” Roman muttered as he reached for thedoorknob.

“When it’s time for you to meet with Rachel, you should do itat Sapphire Cove. I can get you one of the villas, maybe. Someplace private.That way if she completely freaks, you won’t be out in public and you won’t beon her turf.”

When Roman turned in the open doorway, his expression wasdifficult to read—hazel eyes glazed and distant, upper lip tense. Perhaps heunderstood the gravity of this offer. For Ethan, it was no small thing,offering Roman protection and security in the very workplace from which the guyhad plotted to get him fired. But it was also possible he was too stuck on thebit of sexual rejection Ethan had sent his way to appreciate it.

Ethan was no stranger to young men who based their entireself-worth on how many people wanted to sleep with them. He’d once been one ofthose young men himself.

“Thank you,” Roman said quietly.

“Of course.”

Roman opened the door and stepped out onto the open walkwayoutside. Ethan was still wearing his polite smile when the guy turned backquickly and said, “Also, Ethan?”

“Yes, Roman.”

The man pointed to Ethan’s crotch. “You’re still hard.” Thenhe closed the door as abruptly as he had the penthouse suite’s the night beforeand was gone.

Ethan heard his breath leave him in a long, strained exhaleas he gripped the counter on either side of his hips. His plan had been to dartinto the bedroom as soon as he could and furiously relieve himself, possibly tothe sight of Roman’s social media accounts, just to intensify the necessarypurge. But that felt like an unacceptable surrender now. Instead, he stayedfrozen in the kitchen, gazing into space. He didn’t move an inch until he’ddeflated inside his briefs.

Cold as ice,he thought,just as the young mansaid.

10

For the second time in less than twenty-four hours,Ethan’s voice was following Roman home.

I’m suggesting it’s not the best course of actionbecauseyougot a boner when you rubbed my back, young man.

Whatever, dude,he’d wanted to fire back. The wholetime he’d stood there in his kitchen lecturing Roman on what was and wasn’tappropriate,Ethan had a frigging bulge in his jeans. And yeah, pointing it out on theway out the door had felt satisfying. But it didn’t make the moment any easierto remember as his sullen Uber driver sped west through the canyon.

Instead, it had him picking apart every move he’d made sincewaking up that morning.

Had he really thought the kiss on the back of the neck wouldbe friendly, innocent?

Had he started imagining the man holding him down and owninghis ass before he saw the gooseflesh spreading across his neck or after? He’dbeen hard before so… The question sort of answered itself.

Not just hard, filled with the hungry ache that meant hewanted to be filled, pinned down, and owned. And if the man doing thedominating had slightly callused hands and some kind of scruff or facial hairthat could brush up against Roman’s cheeks, his neck, his ass, the better.

Now he wasn’t seeing the rugged, brush-dappled hillsidesbuzzing past outside. He was seeing Ethan Blake’s trim, manicured mustache,crowning lips that looked puckered even at rest, designed for kissing. Andseeing those things made him remember the man’s comforting embrace. Made himfeel it again even as his body was buffeted by warm wind through the half-opencar window.

If the man had actually been his dad’s secret boyfriend, hewouldn’t be feeling any of this.

Or he wouldn’t let himself feel any of it.

But the real Ethan—and not Michael, his alter ego—had alwayslived just outside of his dad’s reach. And that special, authentic version ofthe man was the one who’d held Roman last night as he’d sobbed. This truth hadhis head spinning, breaking the dam that might have held back the attractionhe’d been feeling ever since Ethan had piggybacked him to the car.

That was bullshit.

He’d been feeling the attraction ever since he’d pretendedto be BeachBoy24, ever since he’d discovered how damnkindthe guywas, and it had been messing with his head. He figured this confusion was partof the reason he’d done such a shit job of getting him in bed the night before.During the two weeks he’d spent playing Cody, he’d actually gone to the troubleof looking up some of the words Ethan had used during their chats. Insouciant,for instance.Showing a casual lack of concern; indifferent.Roman hadalways thought it meant cheerful, which was why he’d been so confused whenEthan had texted him—textedCody—that someone in his profession mustalways be on the lookout for junior chefs who try to pass off insouciance aswisdom.

He was so calm, so wise. Sosteady.

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