Page 25

25

Aran

I wake up with Hex in my arms and it’s the rightest thing in the entire world. Rest doesn’t come easy to me, especially when I am on a mission, but after I gathered his warm body against mine, I drifted off with no worry in the world.

We have to get back to reality now as the sun filters in through the part of the window not covered by the curtains. But it can wait a few minutes as I watch him sleep peacefully next to me. It just does something to my soul, cleansing it and giving it the energy it needs to get up and continue trying to resolve the dead end we’ve reached.

Dragging my fingers up the curve of his hip, I focus on the warmth of his skin. It seeps into me through the contract, invigorating and daring me to reach out. To openly want, to claim him as mine. It’s hard to fight that feeling, because it’s so deeply ingrained in me, even though I have no idea when I let it become so absolute.

Maybe it’s always been there, dormant and biding its time.

“Why do you look like you have constipation first thing in the morning?” Hex’s tenor teases me, smooth and lilting. “Was I that bad yesterday?”

That second question is spoken quietly as color tints his cheeks. Hex is not a man who typically lacks confidence, but he also has a shy side that he only ever shows to me. It’s always been like that, and it brings me great satisfaction knowing that I monopolize that part of him.

I shuffle closer to him and bend down to kiss his exposed shoulder. “You were and are perfect, Tien. I thought you already knew that.”

His arms come around my waist possessively as he pulls me in, burying his nose in my chest. “I do. But it’s nice to have it acknowledged by you from time to time.” He inhales deeply, then melts against me with a purr. “You smell like me.”

I plant a kiss at the top of his head and breathe him in. He also smells like me. Like mine.

Something in my brain flips a switch and I’m suddenly ravenous for his taste, seeking out his mouth as he yelps and giggles. His laughter turns into a titillating moan as I take his mouth hostage and bury my tongue deep enough so I can explore every inch of it.

I don’t know what’s gotten over me—I’m not one to act on impulses like this. But he just gets under my skin so easily, he always has, and it’s impossible to resist him now that I know just how sweet his kisses are and how lovely he sounds when he’s aroused.

“Ooh, I like this very much,” he throws in between my advances, his hands roaming my back. They latch onto my spine, tracing each peak as they make their way to my bare ass. “From now on, we’ll do this every morning. It will be part of our updated get-out-of-bed ritual.”

He rubs my crease, teasing my entrance with his bony fingers. “Tien, what are you doing?”

He looks up at me and scrunches his nose, looking all cute and innocent while he continues to rub. “Exploring? Do you normally sleep naked, Aran? I think I should, because it will give you easy access to all parts of me and you can wake me up with a blowjob.”

I swat his thigh. “I can wake you up with one regardless.”

He sprawls himself on the bed and pretend-snores, squeezing his eyes shut. “Please do.”

I bite on my lip to stop myself from smiling. Is the little shit trying to be a smartass? I think I need to teach him a lesson.

Tossing the cover off the bed, I straddle Hex’s ankles and pull his underwear down. He startles as his semi-hard cock springs free and bounces off his stomach. It’s pretty, just like the rest of him, long and delicate and already glistening. My mouth fills with saliva just looking at it, but I want to tease Hex, so I think I’ll take my time.

I start by massaging his thighs, loving how smooth and firm they are. His entire body is clean-shaven, I knew that because I accompany him to the laser studio, but knowing and seeing it in all its full glory are two very different things. I can touch any part that I wish ti, and doing so tears out of Hex erotic moans and pleas for more.

After I am done appreciating his thighs, I move onto his navel, then chest. He growls in protest and threatens to tie me up to the bed and have his way with my mouth. I wouldn’t be opposed, but I don’t tell him that, keeping him with his toes curled as I slowly make my way back down to his crotch. When I finally grasp his shaft in my hand, he’s rock-hard.

“Please, no more teasing! Do something already or I’ll explode.”

He’s cute. I take a moment to just drink him in naked and at my mercy, the erotic sight leaving me awed. I could look at him forever, appreciate the contrasting play of elegance and masculinity in his features, the edge that he has because of his piercing and tattoo that opposes his kind-hearted nature.

I lean forward and take him inside my mouth. His taste surrounds me, sweet and head-spinning as I bob up and down his leaking cock. He blabbers nonsense as his hands grab onto my hair and try to control my pace, but I don’t let them. I like the added sting—it adds to my pleasure and encourages me to make an even bigger mess out of him.

He chants my name, his body jerking as I rub his balls. A few seconds later as I slide up to the tip of his dick and suck on the slit, and he climaxes. I swallow his release, pumping him through the tremors until he eventually relaxes and turns boneless.

“I need a moment,” he slurs, his eyes unfocused and blissful.

I sit on the edge of the bed and stroke his head, taking a few locks of his silky blue hair between my fingers and bringing them to my lips. “You have ten minutes until I shower. Then we’ll get dressed and figure out what to do about our lack of progress.”

When I begin to stand, his hand wraps around my wrist and halts me. “Uh, where do you think you are going?” With his free one, he points at his face while opening his mouth and looking up at the ceiling. “I haven’t sucked your cock yet.”

I gawk at him, I just can’t do anything else. His expression is comically exaggerated and his words make it even worse. I think he was going for sultry and sexy, but he completely missed the mark. It’s such a Hex thing to do, and it’s unfairly adorable.

His nose gets a peck from me. “You don’t have to. I’ll take care of it myself.”

He frowns, mouth pouting. “But I want to? Please?”

Of course he does. And the puppy eyes really shake my resolve. But if I agree, we’ll be stuck in the bedroom the whole morning and I just can’t afford that. We’ve already overslept—it’s nine and we were meant to be up before eight—but I just couldn’t bring myself to get up when he was sleeping next to me so peacefully.

“Okay.”

The words come out of my mouth without my input. I’ve no idea why I said this when I could’ve just turned him down, but I guess the image of him on his knees between my legs didn’t help my case either.

Hex’s radiant smile fills me with joy and anticipation. “I’ll suck your dick soo well you won’t ever want to get up from bed without a blowjob.”

Said dick twitches in excitement. Heavens help me. At this rate I will be addicted to Hex before the cruise even wraps up.

Spreading my legs as he slips out of bed, I get comfortable. He’s sitting on the floor a moment later, his eyes locked on my erection like he’s looking at Tokyo Sky Tree from up close. It’s humbling and it stirs anticipation in my stomach, so to encourage him, I give myself a squeeze and slide my hand up my shaft.

“Are you going to do something or just look?”

He grins, bringing his lips closer. “Sorry. I was just taking a moment to appreciate it.”

I’ve got a teasing remark at the tip of my tongue, but don’t get to say it as he unceremoniously takes me into his mouth. It pulls a startled groan out of me, the sudden wet heat startling my brain.

The first few licks are tentative, as if he’s testing the waters. But before long eagerness wins, guiding his bobbing head as he greedily sucks me as deep in his throat as he can. It’s not that far, and he’s a little clumsy altogether, but it’s still the best blowjob I’ve ever had. It’s embarrassing how quickly it pushes me to my climax, which Hex tries and fails to swallow with a funny face.

“Maybe next time,” I kiss his head and wipe a stray drop of cum from his chin.

He beams up at me. “Promise?”

I kiss him on the lips. “I promise. Now let’s get ready.”

A shower, some frolicking and a cup of coffee later, Hex, Mong and I are sitting around the dining table. Monitors take up most of the free space, with Hex’s laptop and tablet feeding the data we see on them.

“So, both of them disappeared?” Leo says from the other end of the video call.

Since our efforts weren’t bringing results, other than Hex slowly progressing with the secondary network, we called home to report. Who knows, maybe we are missing something obvious that they might be able to notice. Leo took on my role as the Akiyama Group heir’s bodyguard when he came over from the US some time ago. Because of some unfortunate circumstances, he used to work for the Razor Crew, the gang that the US government has been dealing with in its attempt to profit from a new drug. We think it’s based on the one from Matthew’s SD card, but it’s inferior, which is why the entire American government is currently looking for him and Kieran.

“Yes, but we don’t know yet if it’s linked,” I reason.

“Has no one on the cruise said anything?” Kwanchai joins in, snatching Leo’s cigarette and taking a drag from it. From the get-go, I knew our heir stood no chance against Leo, but I’m glad it all turned out fine and they are both so happy together. “Surely, a member of staff and a PA missing would inconvenience someone.”

“We’ve been keeping an eye out for any mentions of the two women. Nothing has been reported.”

“And that Lynx woman? Claire Streiss? You haven’t spoken to her either?”

Hex shakes his head. “Nope. I’ve not heard from her since the party.”

Matthew’s head pops into the camera’s view. “Isn’t that strange? I thought she was obsessed with you?” he asks and gives me a look .

I pretend not to notice it. I know he and Leo have been conspiring with Hex about me, but ignoring their games is usually easier and less irritating than playing them. That said, part of me does wonder what kinds of idiotic things they might’ve convinced Hex to try out, because, quite frankly, he already excels at that on his own.

We chat for a while longer, sharing the rest of the intel we’ve gathered. Everyone seems okay with the fact that we now have a third person helping us with this infiltration mission, but then again, I did have Mong thoroughly checked already. If I think someone is trustworthy, then Kwanchai tends to accept that.

By the time we wrap things up, it’s nearing time for Mong’s shift to start, which means I need to send him out alongside Hex to attend the security briefing. The likelier place for a breakthrough is a VIP area after all, and not the control room, so it’s better for me to continue posing as him. I don’t love the idea of leaving him alone with my little troublemaker, but he’s not overstepped again since the talk we had, so I am convinced he means it when he says he just wants to be Hex’s friend.

“Don’t forget to put this on,” Hex tells me, handing me a tiny camera that can be attached to a button or zipper.

I’ve been carrying one every night I’ve worked at the VIP zone, and so far, it has helped us map out some of the restricted areas. We still have a lot missing, because I am not allowed to go beyond the dining hall, but it’s a start.

I thank Hex, kiss his cheek, and head out. The night is as uneventful as the one before, heightening my irritation and nerves. It really feels like it’s game over for us. I’m good at what I do, and this is not my first mission of this sort, but the challenges we’ve faced so far speak volumes about the importance of whatever is happening here.

Those in charge have taken every possible precaution and it’s making my job a hell of a lot harder, even with Hex in my corner. He’s a genius, but sometimes his usual methods don’t work. It’s why he came with me in the first place—if he could’ve hacked into the systems from home, he’d have done it—but even so, we haven’t made as much progress as both of us hoped to have by this point.

I scan my ID and enter our cabin, sighing as I take my shoes off. As soon I’ve joined my two companions in the lounge, their hard expressions tell me they don’t have good news either.

We get started on dinner and as I chop vegetables for curry, I ponder if I need to change our approach, to take more risks. I’d never put Hex or Mong in unnecessary danger, but I have skills that, albeit rusty, can be utilized.

“You are thinking bad thoughts,” Hex accuses me, bouncing his eyebrows. “They should be good ones instead. Like a blowjob. From me. After dinner.” His hand squeezes me through my pants, and he hollows out one cheek, then pushes it out. I bet money this is Matthew’s influence.

Mong stifles a snort and takes three plates from the cupboard above the sink. “He’s not wrong, you know. Positive thoughts bring positive things into your life.”

This kind of talk is way too wishy-washy for my realist self. I open my mouth to change the direction of our conversation, but Hex’s phone rings just then from the table.

He whips his head and looks at it as if it’s a snake preparing to bite him. Then he lets it ring.

“Won’t you pick up?” Mong takes the words out of my mouth.

“Um, yes…” He sprints over, panting as he picks up the device and holds it out to us. “It’s just… This is the ringtone I set for Mrs. Lynx.”

Suddenly, I’m no longer slowly drowning in the middle of an endless ocean. This is it, the breakthrough we’ve been waiting for. My blood thrums inside me, my heart pounds in my ears.

“Pick up. And act normal. Be a little sad and worried that you haven’t heard from her in days,” I instruct my lovely partner-in-crime. Or well, one of them, though the other one is not nearly as endearing as Hex.

Nodding, he answers the call and puts it on speaker. “Hi, Mrs. Lynx! Is everything okay? I’ve been trying to call you…”

“Hi, dear. It’s lovely to hear your voice. We are okay, don’t worry, just busy with some boring but important work stuff, that’s all. I’m sorry I didn’t call earlier.”

“That’s fine! I’m just happy you and Mr. Lynx are okay.”

“I hope you enjoyed our little party. We are holding another one tonight, if I can interest you in that. I’ve got something I want to talk to you about,” she says slyly.

I bristle, not a fan of her flirtatious tone. I get this agitated feeling under my skin whenever she talks to Hex, like nails scraping against a chalkboard, and this time I have to reel it in even harder. As much as I hate to admit it, this is our way forward. If Claire Streiss wants to talk to Hex, then that means Eleanor must’ve successfully sold him to her. Once he’s contracted as a bodyguard, we’ll have access to the Streisses’ personal files and information, which will, no doubt, sway the scales in our favor.

I just need to endure having her close to him a little longer.

“Oh, really?” Hex shrieks in excitement, giving me the thumbs up. “I wonder what it might be!”

She giggles in that girlish manner that doesn’t fit her age. “Hmm, should I tell you? I think I’ll keep it a surprise. But I guarantee you will like it.”

Hex chuckles. “I need to remember I owe Eleanor a thanks.”

“Oh? For the party? Don’t worry about it. It’s her job to make sure all my guests have a good time.” A door opening and voices in the background fill the pause in their conversation as all three of us stare at each other.

Her response was strange… as if she didn’t realize Hex meant the job offer.

“I have to go now, dear,” she says after instructing someone on her end to bring out more wine glasses.

I see the moment Hex panics, his facial muscles tensing as his mind races. “Wait!”

“Yes?”

A pause of silence ensues, heavy and awkward. “Uh, can I bring a friend?”

She’s quiet for a few moments. “I don’t think your supervisor will enjoy our little party. There will hardly be anyone his age, just young lovely things such as yourself.” A few clicks of a keyboard follow. “And I think he’s got a shift tonight, anyway. You wouldn’t want him to miss it and get in trouble, would you?”

How does she know that? The security roster isn’t public information.

I clench my hands into fists and combat the impulse to grab the phone from Hex and end the call. I don’t like this. Something is off .

I glance at Mong and he nods in wordless agreement. He’ll sub in, because I am going to that party, whether she allows it or not.

“Oh, of course! I didn’t mean him! He hates parties, and he’d never agree to come, even if he wasn’t working. I was talking about Mong, the pretty guy who serves our table.”

She answers that with a thoughtful hum. “He is a very attractive man, and young. Hmm, I could use another pair of hands. Would he be interested in helping at the cocktail bar?”

This is starting to sound like a lot more than a ‘little’ party. I wonder how many people will be attending. From what Hex told me, the last one had quite a few, and they were only employees. She didn’t specify if that will be the case this time, so the likelihood of other VIPs alongside the assistants attending it is high, especially if she needs staff.

“He said he’s super excited to show off his new cocktail to your guests,” Hex assures her, making an OK sign with his fingers.

They bid farewell after agreeing to meet up by the fountains on the ship’s greenhouse deck, from where she will take us to the venue for the party.

It’s not her cabin, or the dining hall. Those are quicker to access from the residential and entertainment decks, respectively. She’s taking us somewhere else, and a have a hunch that it’s a part of the ship we haven’t been to yet.