“Why do you look so serious? Has something happened?” Gerome asked.
D scowled. “You expect me to look after you, but then you vanish into the crowd. How the fuck am I supposed to protect you? I don’t care about you, but what if something happens to Luis?”
Luis bristled at D’s tone of voice and expected Gerome to blow up at the blunt words, but he didn’t. Instead, he wrapped an arm around Luis. “I’m taking care of him, okay? You can relax. You don’t have to be on constant alert because I won’t let him out of my sight until he tells me otherwise. You’re here with us because I thought it would be a good idea to have one more set of eyes here, but you don’t have to be a watchdog all the time. Go and have some fun.”
“I’m working, so I won’t be having any fun.” He didn’t relax his stance one bit, and his scowl even increased.
“Gerome, would you get us something to drink? I need some water.” Luis pressed a kiss to Gerome’s lips.
“I’ll get you some water then. Do you want anything, D?”
The bodyguard shook his head, and Gerome made his way to the bar.
Luis laid a hand on D’s shoulder. “You’ll get there with him. You’ll see. Just give him time.”
D looked up, surprise playing in his eyes. “What do you mean?”
“Ash. You’re sad because you think you’ll never earn his trust, right? And seeing Gerome and me, and all the other couples here, makes it twice as hard, right?”
“Fuck.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “Usually, I can deal with it. It’s a wonder he even accepts me as his friend, but I doubt there will ever be more. And while I’m okay with it most days, sometimes it hits me hard. But it’s okay. I’ll deal with it. As long as he wants me as a friend, I’m good.”
Luis wrapped D in his arms, hugging him tightly. “There is always hope. Look at Gerome and me. We’re much better than I ever believed we’d be. I mean, I was afraid of him for so long. And now, I actually like him. Okay, he was an asshole at first, but still, we’re on our way to working things out.”
“Thank you. I honestly don’t mind being his friend only most days, but seeing all these couples and knowing I might not have that with him... it just hurts.”
“It will be fine. Really. Do you think I can meet him one day? I’ve only heard about him from you and Gerome.”
“Of course. I’ll bring you to meet him if you want?”
“Absolutely. Now try to smile a bit. You’re scaring away the other club goers.”
D laughed, and Luis released him when he spotted Gerome, drinks in hand, heading their way. Time to get some refreshment and then they could go back to dancing. He looked forward to it.
****
Luis didn’t want to go to his bedroom. Even though the clock told them it was four in the morning, he wasn’t tired. Wrapped in Gerome’s arms and kissing him like they’d done all night long, they stood in the living room. The dancing and groping had left him horny and aching, and he really, really wanted to ask Gerome to spend the night with him, but he wasn’t ready, even if his raging hormones said differently.
He needed a good, hard fuck, but last time had hurt, and it most likely hurt Gerome as well, so they needed to take it slow. But damn, the hard cock rubbing against his own through the fabric of their jeans told him Gerome wanted him as well. They still needed to talk and gain more trust between them, not fall in bed with each other.
Gerome, biting lightly now and then, nibbled on his neck. The action sent shivers of lust through Luis, who pressed closer with every nip. His hands fisted the fabric of Gerome’s shirt, and he wanted to run them underneath it, touch his mate’s skin, but he stopped himself once more.
They had time—a lot of time.
Gerome’s tongue caressed his, tangling with it, never really taking the lead. He allowed Luis to dance with him, just like they’d done at the club earlier. He pressed his chest against Gerome’s, the heat coming from him beckoning. The embrace filled him with security and stability. He could rely on this man who would be by his side as they found their way together.
Both of them breathing hard, they slowly ended the kiss. “I’d love to invite you to my room tonight, but I won’t. Not yet.” Gerome panted softly, his hold on Luis never wavering.
“Yeah, I know. I’d love that as well, but it’s too soon. And if I tell myself that long enough, I will believe it in the end.”
Gerome chuckled quietly. “Oh, yes. I’ve been trying to tell myself that all evening, but I guess we really should wait. To be honest, I’m not sure if I’m ready to take this to the next level.”
While trying to get as close as possible, Luis buried his face in Gerome’s neck and breathed in his cologne. “You’re right. I guess that means we say good night now?” he murmured.
“Yeah, looks like it. You need to get some sleep.”
“You too. You’ve been working too much. Please don’t tell me you’re going back to your PC now.” Luis looked up and met Gerome’s eyes.
“I have to, even though I don’t want to.”
“Go to bed and get at least a few hours of rest. You’re going to kill yourself with the workload. You should start looking for someone to help you. Maybe I can do it, although I have no real idea what it is you do. Either way, I don’t care, as long as you get some rest,” Luis said, more forcefully than he intended.
“Mates don’t—crap. That might be an idea. As long as no one hears about it, I might take you up on the offer. I don’t trust anyone outside of the palace to handle the finances, but I trust you. Mates are not allowed to work, but since we’ve already broken all the rules, I guess we could break this one as well. Would you really like to help me?” Gerome looked torn.
It must be very hard for his mate to throw all the things he learned while growing up out the window. But he did a good job with it, and Luis admired his determination to fuck all the laws.
“I’m not really sure if I can help, but I can try. And for the record, you know how fucked up these laws are, right?”
Gerome pulled him into yet another embrace. “I know,” he whispered. “Believe me, I know. But I can’t do anything right now, so let’s go to bed. You must be tired, and if you want to start working with me, you have to be well-rested in a few hours.”
“You might be right.” Luis kissed Gerome again. Had he just agreed to work with him? He frankly had no knowledge of numbers, but it would be something useful to do, and Gerome might get a little more time off as a result.
“Okay, then good night. See you tomorrow.” Gerome caught him in yet another kiss.
“Good night. Get some rest, even if you don’t need to sleep.”
“Yes, sir.” Gerome chuckled. “Off you go now. Otherwise, we can make some coffee and start working right away.”
“All right, I’m going. But you need to as well.” Luis chuckled with him. They sounded like an old mated couple.
“I will. I promise you.”
“Okay, good night then.”
“Good night.” Luis chuckled again yet made no move to let go of Gerome. “One of us should head to bed.”
“Yes. Absolutely.” He didn’t move either.
“Come on. Let’s go.”
“Good night.” Gerome pressed a kiss to Luis’ lips again.
“Mhh.”
After a couple more kisses, they finally managed to part ways and go to their respective rooms.
Luis undressed and crawled under the cold sheets. Sleeping with Gerome didn’t sound too bad at all. He didn’t want to have sex with him but sharing a bed, making out, and cuddling would be nice.
They weren’t ready for sex, but maybe he could suggest sharing a bed. It seemed like a natural progression, and as he curled up under the bedding, he ached for the warmth and comfort Gerome would give him.
Sleeping alone sucked. He’d been thankful for the peace and quiet for some time now, but he didn’t want that anymore. Perhaps he should see if he could join Gerome.
No, he couldn’t do that. His mate needed sleep, and they’d agreed to take it slow. Going to his room and asking to join him in bed was not taking baby steps.
He would consider talking to Gerome about it, but for now, he’d have to suffer through the loneliness and try to sleep. At least, he could look forward to working with Gerome. Finances weren’t something he would’ve picked if he had a choice, but if he could help Gerome, he’d do it gladly.
Allowing his mate to self-destruct wasn’t in the plans. He liked the man too much for that.
With a last sigh, he closed his eyes and wished Gerome would wrap him in his arms.