too!”
“It was my home.” Aiden felt tears threaten and fought them off. He’d cried enough over Cameron. “It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, leaving. But it was all bullshit. All of it.”
“You don’t know what you’re saying.”
“I know damn well what I’m saying, Cam. I want you to leave now. And if I ever see you again in public, you’re going to pretend you haven’t even seen me.”
“You can’t mean that. You need me, Aiden. You need what I can give you. You—”
“I’m doing fine on my own. I get hired because I’m good . Because I work hard.” Aiden’s heart pounded in his chest and his throat burned.
“Don’t mess with me, Aiden,” Cam hissed. “You don’t know what you’re doing.”
“Get the hell out of my dressing room.” Aiden struggled to maintain his composure, his anger mixing with genuine fear.
“Not until I—”
“Leave, Cameron.”
“Don’t you dare—”
“You heard the man” came a steely voice from the doorway. “He asked you to leave.”
Cameron raised his chin and sneered. “Who the hell are you?”
“The guy who’s going to punch your face in if you don’t leave.” Sam’s voice was restrained.
“As if,” Cameron snorted, but he backed away from Sam and moved toward the door as Sam walked into the room. Then, stopping for a moment, he turned toward Aiden and said, “I meant what I said, Aiden. You need me.”
Aiden said nothing but stood his ground and tried to school his face to something hard, immutable. Like granite.
Sam gestured to the door. Cameron stormed out, slamming it as he left.
Aiden drew a long breath. “Thanks.”
“My pleasure.” Sam’s eyes twinkled with mischief. “Lord Sherrington, I presume?”
“Quite.” Aiden’s nervous laugh filled the room. “I’d love to say that’s the last I’ll see of him, but I doubt it. He doesn’t give up easily.”
“You okay?”
Aiden nodded. “That wasn’t nearly as difficult as when I found him….” Aiden stopped himself and began again. “Sorry. It’s over. No need to rehash all the gory details.”
“No need to. Jules told me.” Sam’s expression was sympathetic. “He was about to go after the man and tear him limb from limb. Jaz had to hold him back.”
Aiden shook his head. This time the laughter was more genuine. “Sometimes I wonder how I managed to deserve the two of them.”
“Not much to wonder about. You’re a good man, Aiden.”
“I’ve made a lot of mistakes.”
“Who hasn’t?” Sam slipped his arm around Aiden’s waist. Aiden took a long, slow breath and leaned his head against Sam’s shoulder and lost himself momentarily in the warmth of Sam’s body. Aiden relaxed with the soothing contact.
“Let’s get out of here,” Aiden said finally. “Do you think Jules and Jason will mind if I monopolize your last evening in Paris?”
Sam chuckled and planted a sweet kiss on Aiden’s lips. “I already told them I’d be back in the morning to say my good-byes.”
Sam and Aiden took a cab back to the hotel from the opera house. They barely spoke in the taxi, although the silence was far from uncomfortable. As they walked through the lobby to the elevator, they held hands. The scene in the dressing room had left Aiden feeling a little off-kilter, and the contact was reassuring. Aiden knew it was more than only the encounter with Cam, though, that left him feeling that way.
Sam squeezed Aiden’s hand as the elevator reached their floor. A few minutes later, they were kissing, Sam pressed against the inside of the hotel room door. Aiden unbuttoned Sam’s shirt to find the smooth skin beneath and lick one of Sam’s nipples.
“More.” It was more a gasp than a spoken word, but Aiden didn’t need anything else to understand what Sam wanted. He took the pink flesh between his teeth and nipped at it, then licked it until he heard Sam’s hiss.
“What do you want?” Aiden realized the hidden meaning in the words as soon as they were out of his mouth. He
“It was my home.” Aiden felt tears threaten and fought them off. He’d cried enough over Cameron. “It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, leaving. But it was all bullshit. All of it.”
“You don’t know what you’re saying.”
“I know damn well what I’m saying, Cam. I want you to leave now. And if I ever see you again in public, you’re going to pretend you haven’t even seen me.”
“You can’t mean that. You need me, Aiden. You need what I can give you. You—”
“I’m doing fine on my own. I get hired because I’m good . Because I work hard.” Aiden’s heart pounded in his chest and his throat burned.
“Don’t mess with me, Aiden,” Cam hissed. “You don’t know what you’re doing.”
“Get the hell out of my dressing room.” Aiden struggled to maintain his composure, his anger mixing with genuine fear.
“Not until I—”
“Leave, Cameron.”
“Don’t you dare—”
“You heard the man” came a steely voice from the doorway. “He asked you to leave.”
Cameron raised his chin and sneered. “Who the hell are you?”
“The guy who’s going to punch your face in if you don’t leave.” Sam’s voice was restrained.
“As if,” Cameron snorted, but he backed away from Sam and moved toward the door as Sam walked into the room. Then, stopping for a moment, he turned toward Aiden and said, “I meant what I said, Aiden. You need me.”
Aiden said nothing but stood his ground and tried to school his face to something hard, immutable. Like granite.
Sam gestured to the door. Cameron stormed out, slamming it as he left.
Aiden drew a long breath. “Thanks.”
“My pleasure.” Sam’s eyes twinkled with mischief. “Lord Sherrington, I presume?”
“Quite.” Aiden’s nervous laugh filled the room. “I’d love to say that’s the last I’ll see of him, but I doubt it. He doesn’t give up easily.”
“You okay?”
Aiden nodded. “That wasn’t nearly as difficult as when I found him….” Aiden stopped himself and began again. “Sorry. It’s over. No need to rehash all the gory details.”
“No need to. Jules told me.” Sam’s expression was sympathetic. “He was about to go after the man and tear him limb from limb. Jaz had to hold him back.”
Aiden shook his head. This time the laughter was more genuine. “Sometimes I wonder how I managed to deserve the two of them.”
“Not much to wonder about. You’re a good man, Aiden.”
“I’ve made a lot of mistakes.”
“Who hasn’t?” Sam slipped his arm around Aiden’s waist. Aiden took a long, slow breath and leaned his head against Sam’s shoulder and lost himself momentarily in the warmth of Sam’s body. Aiden relaxed with the soothing contact.
“Let’s get out of here,” Aiden said finally. “Do you think Jules and Jason will mind if I monopolize your last evening in Paris?”
Sam chuckled and planted a sweet kiss on Aiden’s lips. “I already told them I’d be back in the morning to say my good-byes.”
Sam and Aiden took a cab back to the hotel from the opera house. They barely spoke in the taxi, although the silence was far from uncomfortable. As they walked through the lobby to the elevator, they held hands. The scene in the dressing room had left Aiden feeling a little off-kilter, and the contact was reassuring. Aiden knew it was more than only the encounter with Cam, though, that left him feeling that way.
Sam squeezed Aiden’s hand as the elevator reached their floor. A few minutes later, they were kissing, Sam pressed against the inside of the hotel room door. Aiden unbuttoned Sam’s shirt to find the smooth skin beneath and lick one of Sam’s nipples.
“More.” It was more a gasp than a spoken word, but Aiden didn’t need anything else to understand what Sam wanted. He took the pink flesh between his teeth and nipped at it, then licked it until he heard Sam’s hiss.
“What do you want?” Aiden realized the hidden meaning in the words as soon as they were out of his mouth. He
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