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Jay gave him a pointed look. “Just guard this with your life and don’t open it.” He walked off, and Ryden sat staring at the box. “Okay.” What was happening right now? “Meh.” Ryden shrugged. He knew better than to question Jay. A heartbeat later, Lucky walked up to him.

“Hey, bro. Jay said you had something for me.”

Ryden blinked at him. He moved his gaze to the box and then back to Lucky. He carefully slid the box over to Lucky. “This is for you.”

Lucky peered at him. “It’s not going to like explode glitter into my face or something, is it? Because Mason is not going to be happy if we end up with glitter in bed again.”

Ryden opened his mouth and closed it. “I don’t want to know.” He sure hoped there was no glitter. He shook his head. Lucky didn’t look convinced. “Just take the box and be careful.”

Lucky reluctantly took the box, though he was clearly questioning Ryden’s life choices. Opening the box, his eyes went huge. “?Ay, madrecita mía!”

Was that a good exclamation about his mother, or should Ryden be running for his life? It was sometimes hard to tell with Lucky. Just in case, Ryden slipped off the barstool.

“How?” Lucky stared at Ryden.

“Um.”

“I can’t believe it.” Lucky’s bottom lip wobbled.

He gently placed the box on the counter and threw his arms around Ryden, hugging him.

“I love you, bro! You’re the best.” He pulled back.

“How did you do this? You know what? It doesn’t matter.

I won’t forget this. If Ace asks you where I went, you saw nothing.

” He asked the bartender for a spoon, then vanished with the box.

Jay returned and leaned against the counter, a very self-satisfied smile on his face. “I’m guessing it went well?”

With a chuckle, Ryden pulled Jay into his arms. “That was his coconut flan, wasn’t it?”

Jay’s smile stole Ryden’s breath away. “I figured it wouldn’t hurt for you to be back in his good graces again.”

“How’d you do it?”

Jay shrugged. “Graciela’s grandmother loves me.”

“And why wouldn’t she?” Ryden leaned in to nuzzle Jay’s neck, loving the shiver it sent through Jay. “What I wouldn’t give to have you naked right now.”

Jay pulled back. He bit down on his bottom lip and grabbed Ryden’s hand. “Come with me.” He hurried around the bar to one of the sandy trails lined with palm trees and shrubbery.

“Where are we going?” Ryden knew for a fact that the house was in the other direction.

He let Jay lead him down the path, which wound around several turns.

The sun was starting to set, and the salty ocean breeze was heavenly.

Before he could ask again, they exited to a small clearing and a cabana with what resembled a double bed with gauzy white curtains.

Jay turned to Ryden, his smile sinful. “The island has a bunch of these cabanas.” He reached into his pocket and waved a packet of lube at him.

“Well damn.” Ryden didn’t waste another second. He swept Jay off his feet, loving the sound of his laughter. Climbing onto the bed, he lay Jay down and started undressing him. He unbuttoned Jay’s shirt and slid a finger down his chest to the waistband of his shorts. “You’re so beautiful.”

“Please,” Jay groaned, arching his back and taking Ryden’s hand to move it down to his cock straining against his shorts.

“Fuck.” Ryden quickly stripped as Jay finished pulling off his clothes, tossing them to the side of the bed to join Ryden’s, then he turned over onto his stomach.

Ryden covered Jay’s more petite frame with his own, lacing their fingers together and moving Jay’s arms up onto the pillows.

He leisurely slid down Jay’s body, leaving a trail of wet kisses from Jay’s neck, down his spine to his ass.

He parted Jay’s cheeks and used his tongue to have Jay writhing and panting beneath him.

“Oh fuck. Ry,” Jay pleaded.

Ryden slicked his fingers up and carefully slipped them inside Jay one at a time, stretching him until he was ready for Ryden’s cock. He lay on his side and spooned Jay so his chest was flush against Jay’s back.

“Darlin’, you are everything I never knew I needed.”

“I love you,” Jay murmured, slipping one hand around to the back of Ryden’s neck. He moved the other to lace their fingers together on his stomach and sucked in a sharp breath as Ryden kissed his bare shoulder.

“I love you, too, sweet pea.” Ryden reached down and palmed Jay’s hard cock, running his thumb over Jay’s slit, smiling as Jay bucked his hips. Ryden rubbed his hard length between Jay’s plump ass cheeks. “Do you want this inside you?”

Jay moaned. “Please.”

“Whatever you want, darlin’.” Ryden shifted back a little and Jay pushed his ass back. Carefully, Ryden pushed the head of his cock against Jay’s hole, closing his eyes and groaning at the tight heat as he slowly sank himself inside Jay. Fuck, this was never not going to amaze him.

“I want you,” Jay said, breathless.

Ryden buried himself until his groin was against Jay’s ass, then he started moving, pulling out just a little and pushing back in, small thrusts.

Heat and need, unlike anything he’d ever felt, spread through him, and sweat beaded his brow.

He kissed Jay’s shoulder and pulled out almost completely, then thrust back in.

Jay cried out, and Ryden shifted his angle to hit that sweet spot inside Jay.

“Oh fuck,” Jay moaned loudly. “Yes. Fuck yes.”

Ryden slid his arm under Jay’s left thigh and lifted him, propping him on Ryden’s leg and adjusting Jay’s position so he could hold Jay close and really drive himself inside him, the sound of their bodies coming together again and again filled the air as the sun began its descent.

“Jay,” Ryden warned as his muscles grew tense.

Jay cried out as he came, his body tightening around Ryden and pushing him over the edge.

He came hard, and he punched his hips forward until he gently pulled out.

Placing Jay back on the bed, Ryden collapsed onto his back, his breath coming out in pants. “Oh, man.”

Jay rolled over and placed his hand on Ryden’s chest. With a smile, Ryden covered Jay’s hand with his, squeezing it before rolling over to face Jay. “You’re gorgeous.”

“I must look a mess,” Jay said, laughing softly. His hair was partly plastered to his face, the rest tousled. His face was pink, his lips swollen and wet.

“Darlin’, you’ll always look gorgeous to me.”

Jay smiled at that. “Whether I was frustrated or furious with you, or I was doing my best not to think about how damned sexy you were, you were always on my mind. When you weren’t in the office, I missed you.”

“You did?”

Jay nodded. “Of course, I was in total denial. I’d tell myself, ‘Oh good, he’s not here to annoy me, or make fun of my bow tie,’ and then keep wondering when you’d be back.”

“I made fun of your bow ties because I couldn’t stand how fuckin’ adorable you looked in ’em.”

Jay shook his head. “Saint was right. Guess I have found my match.”

“He said the same thing to me. Ace seems to think he had a hand in us gettin’ together.”

Jay opened his mouth, then closed it. He stared at Ryden, then shook his head, seeming to dismiss the thought. “No.”

“That’s what I said. But you were thinkin’ about somethin’ just then.”

“Well, I remember when you first started at Four Kings Security, your desk wasn’t the desk you had for six years.”

Ryden blinked at him. “What?”

“Originally, you sat on the left. My side, left. You were across the room. I couldn’t see you because of the filing cabinet that used to be there.

Two days later, Ace moved you. He said the lighting was better or something.

I don’t even remember. But he moved you to the desk across the floor. Directly in my line of sight.”

Ryden frowned. “Yeah, but there are three other desks directly in front of mine.”

“Yes,” Jay replied, his smile bright. “And they belong to executive protection agents who are barely in the office, as opposed to you, who’s there a lot more. For six years, when you sat at your desk, I couldn’t avoid seeing you.”

“Well, I’ll be damned.” Ryden gaped at Jay, then shook his head. “He can never know that we know. If he finds out, he’ll get it etched into my office door or somethin’.”

Jay laughed, his eyes sparkling with love. “All those years, and it was always you.”

Beneath the setting sun, wrapped in love and the knowledge that he was no longer just surviving but living, Ryden kissed Jay, slow and deep.

“Always will be, darlin’. Always.”